Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone
by AlexisFaye
Summary: Shortly after Mr. Weasleys attack time freezed and Rosalind and friends get sent to the Room of Requirements where seven books of Rosa's life mysteriously appears along with a note from their future selves. Will these books help them save lives that had been lost? Or will time repeat itself? Fem/Harry
1. Arrival of the books

Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Chapter One

The Girl Who Lived

Rosa sat with Ron and Hermione in Gryffindor's common room. They had just gotten back from Christmas break and were winding down from the day's events. Rosa was lost in her thoughts about how she wished she didn't have to return the Dursleys this summer. The fear that gripped her thought at it. It had been horrible enough going home last summer after what she went through.

The Dursleys hadn't cared that she went through something that almost cost her life and only added onto the baggage she had carried. Even now she still had horrible nightmares that had her waking up in a dead sweat at night. Hermione placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"Are you alright, Rosa?" she asked. Rosa opened her mouth to speak but with a pop Hermione disappeared. This startled Rosa causing her to yelp and jump from her seat by the fire. Her wand was in her hand in a second. Ron soon followed with his own.

"What happened?" Ron asked his voice tinted with worry. What sounded like a stampede came from the stairs drawed two/thirds of the trio's attention. Lee Jordan and Ron's older brother Fred came flying down the staircase over to them. Fred's brown eyes were wide with worry.

"George just disappeared into thin air," howled Fred.

"Hermione disappeared too," Rosa said. What could have people disappearing into thin air? You can't apparate into or out of Hogwarts? In that instant Ron and Fred both left with a loud pop. Rosa shortly followed leaving a confused Lee behind in their wake.

When Rosa appeared again she was in a room filled with people. She quickly realized that it was the Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Neville, Luna, Mad Eye, Draco, Snape, and Tonks (whom were all pointing wands at each other in confusion).

"Imposters!" shouted Mad Eye. Rosa stood back from everyone else staring at them with a calculating eye. A solution came to her almost instantly. She strode over to stand in the middle of the cluster of confused people.

"Everyone just calm down!" she yelled capturing their attention. "We'll ask security questions. Prof-Remus can't use polyjuice." She turned to him. "Ask me a question." Mad eye nodded in agreement. Remus smiled at her apologetically.

"Since people know that your Patronus is a Stag I'm going to have to ask you another question." She gave him a small smile. "What do you hear around Dementors?" The last part was said in a whisper. She sighed heavily.

"I hear my parents last moments." Remus nodded sadly and Rosa turned toward mad eye since he was the last person that she knew to be an imposter.

"Mad eye what did you show me the night Ron and Hermione were made prefects?"

"Order of the Phoenix original photos." They continued like this until Rosa came to Luna and Draco.

"Luna what can only you and I see?"

Thestrals," she answered dreamily.

"Correct."

"We don't even like Malfoy," Ron stated. "No need to check him." Moody looked unimpressed by this.

"Check him anyway," he growled. Bella sighed. What could she ask that wouldn't embarrass him to much nor would it reflect badly on anyone?

"When did we first meet and what was the first thing you said to me?" Draco scowled at her.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Just answer it," Rosa said irritably.

"We met for the first time at Madam Malkins and I said hello Hogwarts, too?" His voice was laced with irritation. She nodded in confirmation.

"Right then," Rosa said. "What are we all doing here?" She turned to Dumbledore like he had the answer. Except his face showed confusion just like everyone else's.

"It is not I who brought us here." Mad eye growled at this and kept his wand firmly in his hand like he thought this was a trap. If Rosa was being completely honest with herself she was starting to think along those lines too. Sirius strode over to her and wrapped a protecting arm around her waist. She smiled up at her godfather in reassurance and tried to slip from his grasp.

He tightened his hold and secured his arm better around her. "Overprotective mutt," she mumbled too low for anyone to hear. Remus wasn't far away from the duo. A flash of blinding light filled the room. Rosa couldn't see anything but felt something materialize in her hand. The light faded away to reveal a piece of parchment.

"Read it out loud, Rosa," Sirius said.

_"Dear friends, (_and enemies someone muttered)

_I imagine you are all confused as to what you're doing here. Don't be alarmed we're not Death Eater and this isn't a trap. We're from the future. _(This is Hermione's handwriting! Sorry.) _We have sent back seven books all of which will be (_Rosa groaned. "What is it?")_ in Rosa's point of view, much to her irritation. _(This caused a round of chuckles. While others groaned because they didn't want to hear her thoughts.)

_So many people died that needn't have to if you read these books. And you must read all of them! It's very important that you do so. Do not judge people until the very end. Especially at the end of the sixth book! _

_ Take turns at reading. Before you get all worked up time is stopped until the last book is read. You don't have to worry about work etc. The books will materialize at the end of this letter. Just so you know you can't skip ahead to another book because they won't open until the book before is done being read. _

_Hope you can change the future, _

_Hermione and others _

_P.S. I used a time turner during my third year _

Rosa left the P.S out because she didn't want to reveal anything beforehand. The room grew silent as they all took in the information. Remus walked over to the table that the books appeared on. Ron who was looking over Rosa's shoulder nodded at the P.S.

"Did she prove-"

"Yes Moody she did." Hermione shot her a look wondering how she proved it.

"Should we start reading?" Mr. Weasley asked. Dumbledore nodded and everyone walked over to take a seat. Rosa sat between Remus and Sirius.

"What's the first book Remus?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone." Rosa sighed. She knew that she was going to get in trouble for things that happened that year. Across from Rosa Ron and Hermione looked like they were having the same thoughts.

"We're not going to get in trouble for anything that happened are we?" Rosa asked. "This did happen four years ago."

"No one shall have points deducted for what happens in these books," Dumbledore stated. "For past or future actions."

"That won't stop you from getting grounded," Mrs. Weasley muttered. Hermione was looking grateful that her own parents weren't here to punish her for her actions. Both Ron and Rosa sent her jealous glares.

"Remus would you like to do the honors of reading first?" McGonagall asked. He nodded his consent.

**"Chapter One: The Girl Who lived." **

**I've read a couple of these and wanted to try this out for myself. I will be finishing all seven books because I hate it when people don't finish them. **

**There will be some change in the book. I could go ahead and keep her with Ginny but I won't. There will also be some stuff added in. That will mostly be in later books. Just forewarning you. **

**Now I have a question. Who do you want her to end up with? Leave your responce in a review.**

**Thanks for reading I hope you enjoy!**


	2. Girl Who Lived

Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Chapter Two

The Girl Who Lived

** "Rosalind Potter and the Girl Who Lived," **Remus read before turning the to the first page. **"The Girl Who Lived." **Rosa groaned, Sirius wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her back in a comforting way.

"Wonder who that could be," Fred said sarcastically. Rosa stuck her tongue out at him and he smirked.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." **

"You're not welcome," George said coldly. It was obvious that he was remembering second year with the bars on the window. Ron's and Fred's eyes darkened along with similar thoughts.

**"They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

Bella frowned. They weren't wrong. She remembered her punishments and shivered.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

Mr. Weasley opened his mouth to probably ask what a drill was but Hermione stopped him. "Write down whatever you want to know about and I'll answer it at the end of the chapter." Mr. Weasley grabbed a quill and parchment and began writing excitedly down on it.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. **

"Lovely," said Ginny sarcastically. Rosa laughed.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

'Doesn't look like she's changed any,' thought Snape.

"They're made for each other," muttered George. Rosa snorted at this.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

"Oh I bet," Rosa muttered under her breath. "Fine boy indeed." Sirius squeezed her slightly and she sent him a small smile.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. **

"What that their actually horrible people," Ron muttered too low for anyone other than Remus to hear.

**They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

By the end anger had filled Remus's voice.

"There's nothing wrong with the Potters!" snapped Sirius. Everyone else who knew the Potters agreed.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, **

"That's awful," Mrs. Weasley said.

"That's Aunt Petunia," Rosa muttered.

**Because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish**

"Not a word," said Remus and Hermione together, causing them to blush and everyone else to laugh.

**As it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. **

"They wouldn't say a thing," said Mrs. Weasley.

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small daughter, too, but they had never seen her. This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. **

"They wouldn't want Rosa to mix with a child like yours," growled Sirius. Rosa just frowned.

'Wish I never had to,' Rosa thought darkly.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

Fred and George looked horrified. "His most boring tie," they said together in disgust. Rosa chuckled at their faces.

"Brat," Tonks muttered. Remus sent her an amused glance as he was the only one to hear her.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

Arthur sent a sad glance toward Rosa and the last Marauders. Everyone paled slightly. It was that day.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley**

Molly shook her head. "Don't encourage him." It was obvious she thought their parenting lacked.

**As he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar- a cat reading a map. **

Rosa looked at McGonagall confused. 'Why would she be there?' The few that knew about the cat smiled while others who didn't still looked confused.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen- then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. **

"Oh, yes," Fred said. "Keep thinking that."

"It's amazing what Muggles will tell themselves when something abnormal happens," Moody growled.

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive- no, _looking_ at the sign; cats couldn't read maps _or signs._**

"This one can," Fred announced as he threw an arm around McGonagall's shoulders. She scowled at him.

"Oh," Ron said finally understanding who the cat was.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

"One track mind that man's got," George snickered.

'You have no idea,' Rosa thought.

**But on the edge of town drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"Cloaks aren't strange," Ron said looking confused. Rosa rolled her eyes fondly at him.

"Muggles don't wear cloaks normally." He nodded.

"Weird." Rosa snickered and shook her head.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothing- the getups, you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing close by. They were whispering excitedly together. **

At this many in the room looked sad, bowing their heads in respect, all knowing what that day was.

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald- green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt- these people were obviously collecting for something… yes that would be it. **

"Wrong," Rosa said while rolling her eyes. 'Idiot.'

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

"Again one track mind," George smirked.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. _He _didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. **

"They should have been more discreet," huffed McGonagall.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. **

"Why's that?" asked Ron.

"Owls don't normally come out during the day for Muggles," Hermione explained. "They don't use owls for the post like we do."

**Mr. Dursley however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"What a charming bloke," said Bill sarcastically.

"Shouting is about the only thing he's good at," Rosa said seriously. A round of laughter went around the room.

**He was in a very good mood**

"Yes yelling at people can do that to you," Charlie said. Sarcasm dripped into his voice.

**Until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk**

Rosa and those who had met him gasped in shock. "That fat git actually walks," Ron said in astonishment.

"Ron, language," chastised Mrs. Weasley.

**Across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. **

"The world is right again," laughed Ginny, some chuckled with her.

Rosa couldn't believe he had gone for just one.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. **

** It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, **

Rosa nodded. That made more sense.

**That he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

** "The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard-" **

** "-yes, their daughter, Rosa-" **

Rosa stared down at her hands in her lap fighting back the tears that threatened to spill.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. **

"Hurray!" cried the twins. This made Rosa smile slightly while the grown-ups in the room scowled.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers, as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized the telephone, **

Arthur wrote telephone quickly under the word drills. Malfoy shook his head at the man's behavior. 'Pureblood indeed.'

**And he almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his beard, thinking… no, he was being stupid. **

He admits it!" Fred cheered.

"First step is admitting it," George said. "Now the treatment is to stop being a git toward Rosa."

"Boys!" yelled Arthur except he had starting noticing things about Rosa. She always wore bagging clothing that never fit her right and shied away from people touches.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. **

"Yes it is," shouted Malfoy.

"No its not," disagreed Rosa. "It's a common name in the muggle world." She wanted to add more but thought better of it.

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a daughter named Rosa. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece _was_ called Rosa. **

Everyone frowned at this while Rosa blushed and looked down. She hadn't even known her own name for the longest time. She still wasn't sure if he even knew her name.

**He'd never seen the girl. It might have been Rhonda. Or Riley. **

Many people in the room frowned at these names, they weren't bad names. They were quite nice it just wasn't Rosa. Her name suited her, unique, short, and strong.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her- if _he'd _had a sister like that…**

At this everyone glared at the book and Sirius was growling. "Like your sister is so much better," muttered Rosa bitterly.

**But all the same, those people in cloaks…. **

** He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

** "Sorry," he grunted, **

"He knows that word," Bill said in shock. Some people smirked at him.

**As the tiny man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who is gone at last!" **

"Not for good," growled Moody.

"Yes for good," snapped Percy who most people had forgotten that he was even there due to him being quiet the whole time. No one argued with him but a few of his siblings glared.

**Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. **

"His arms fit!" said Charlie in surprise. His mother glared and Rosa smiled at him.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. **

"Oh the horror!" cried the twins.

**He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. **

Hermione looked like she was about to explain but Ron covered her mouth with his hand. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

**He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he never hoped for, because he didn't approve of imagination. **

"How can you not approve of imagination?" George asked. Fred burst into mock tears and grabbed ahold of his twin. Rosa laughed at Fred's actions.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw- and it didn't improve his mood- was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. **

"It's Minnie!" Sirius shouted cheerfully.

"Black!" snapped McGonagall. The twins shared a look.

"Minnie!" they yelled, she groaned. Remus shook his head in amusement before going on.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. **

"That's not going to work," sang Fred.

**The cat didn't move. It gave him a stern look. **

"Defiantly Minnie," snickered Sirius. McGonagall sent him a bemused look.

**Was this normal cat behavior? **

"Nope," Sirius said cheerfully.

"Sirius we get it," Remus said patiently. "Shut up." All the kids (bar Percy, and Malfoy laughed.)

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. Mrs. Dursley had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Shan't!). **

"What a horrid child," McGonagall stated. Mrs. Weasley shook her head and tutted about not rewarding that behavior.

"She really shouldn't be worried about other people's problems," Hermione said.

"Oh then her entertainment would be gone," Rosa said sarcastically.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

** "_And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusual today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." _**

******The newscaster allowed himself a grin. _"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" _**

**_ "Well, Ted," _**

****"It's dad," Tonks said smiling widely. Sirius chuckled.

**_Said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early- it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." _**

****McGonagall was frowning at the book. "They really should have been more careful. Even the Muggles had started to notice. They're not dumb." By the look on Malfoy's face he thought differently.

However he had enough sense not to say this out loud.

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place. And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"He's putting it together," Mrs. Weasley said worriedly. Mr. Weasley patted her arm.

"But he already knew about us."

"That doesn't mean if he can put it together some other Muggle couldn't," stated Moody.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er- Petunia, dear- you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?" **

"It's obvious who wears the pants in that relationship," snorted Ginny. Her mother sent her a disapproving look.

**As he suspected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

"That's horrible," cried Mrs. Weasley. The others who knew Lily scowled at the book.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?" **

** "Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…." **

** "So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

** "Well, I just thought…. maybe…. it was something to do with… you know… _her _crowd." **

"Her crowd!" everyone yelled. Remus winced (due to werewolf hearing). Rosa hid her face behind her hair.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter". He decided he didn't dare. **

"She definitely wears the pants," Fred muttered.

**Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter- she'd be about Dudley's age now wouldn't she?" **

** "I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. **

** "What's her name again? Rhonda, isn't it?" **

** "Rosalind; or Rosa, as they call her. Nasty, common name, if you ask me." **

Sirius scoffed. "Rosalind is hardly a common name." Rosa sent him a small smile and he patted her knee.

"How did she know her name if she never saw, Rosa?" Bill asked confused.

"Holiday cards," Sirius said.

"But why would Lily send cards in the first place?" Tonks asked.

"Lily wanted Petunia to know Rosa," Remus stated.

"Can't believe Petunia even read the cards," Sirius muttered.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horrible. "Yes, I quite agree." He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. **

"Or someone," muttered McGonagall.

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? **

"Sadly yes," said Mrs. Weasley quietly. Rosa stared intently down at her hands refusing to cry.

Sirius upon noticing her sadness wrapped his arm back around her and pulled her close to his side.

**If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of- well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

** The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters _were_ involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… he couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on **

"He had to go and jinx it," Rosa sighed. Remus sent her a small smile.

**-he yawned and turned over- it couldn't affect them…**

Rosa muttered incoherent things under her breath. Her friends sighed; they knew how much Rosa hated it at the Dursleys. 

**How very wrong he was. **

Another sigh left Rosa's mouth and Sirius squeezed her supportively.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street down, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. **

Rosa looked at McGonagall with confusion. Why would she be there?

"How do you stay still so long?" Tonks asked amazed.

"All it is is being patient. Comes in handy while teaching."

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appearing so suddenly and silently you'd have thought that he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

** Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. **

Dumbledore paled slightly. "Dumbles!" the twins yelled. Mrs. Weasley sent them a stern look. Dumbledore however just chuckled merrily.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

The twins cheered.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. **

"Oh I did," he said cheerfully to nobody impiticular.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

** He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Wicked," stated Fred.

"I want one," George said. Molly, McGonagall, and Snape looked positively displeased by this. It was obvious they hoped they never got a hold of one.

"Sorry boys," Dumbledore said. "One of a kind." He pulled it out of his pocket and held it up. The twins exchanged looks.

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. **

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

Everyone that knew from the beginning smiled. "Minnie!" the twins cheered.

She glared at Sirius. "I blame you." He gave her a sheepish grin.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." **

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

Snape smirked at her. "No one asked you too," muttered Draco too low for anyone to hear.

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." **

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news."**

Arthur shook his head.

**She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"I like Diggle," Rosa said. "He's funny." She remembered when she saw him for the first time in the shop. Excited he was. She gave a fond smile at the memory.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

McGonagall gave a sad sigh.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

Rosa paled considerably at this. Remus and Sirius both didn't look any better than she did. This day had ruined their lives.

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?" **

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. **

**"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"**

**"A what?" **

**"A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

Rosa smiled fondly at the Headmaster. "Ohhh, I love sherbet lemons," Tonks declared. Dumbledore smiled happily and offered her one.

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for sherbet lemon. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —" **

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

The group flinched (everyone besides Dumbledore, Rosa, Remus, and Sirius.)

"It's just a name," Rosa said irritably. "I've come across him several times and none you have ever so really you have no reason to be afraid of it. You wouldn't be afraid to say Tom if he hadn't changed it would you?"

Percy grew red in the face. "You've never escaped him four times because he is dead," he hissed. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"It's five times Rosa," Hermione said. "You forget the one in the Forbidden Forest." Rosa smiled at her friend.

"Oh, yeah. I always forget about that one." Percy grew redder in the face and scowled at her.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." "I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort,**

Flinch, Rosa groaned and shook her head at them.

**was frightened of." **

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort**

Flinch. Another groan.

**had powers I will never have."**

"Only because your too noble to use them," Bill said.

**"Only because you're too — well —noble to use them."**

The twins smirked at Bill. Bill smiled slightly and shook his head.

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"To much information professor," muttered Tonks.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

Bella grimaced and stared down at her arm where the long scar shown against her skin.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.**

The atmosphere grew tense. Everyone knew what was about to come up. Remus began reading in a slightly less steady voice.

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead."**

Tears built up in Rosa's eyes. They cascaded down her cheeks. There didn't seem to be a dry eye in the room (besides Snape, whom had a mask on and Draco who kept his mouth shut).

Sirius wrapped Rosa in a hug and she buried her face into his chest. Remus patted her arm before reading on.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

**"Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

Rosa looked up. Curiosity shined brightly in her eyes. "Did you know them well?"

She smiled at her student. "Yes, fairly well. I use to babysit your father." Her smile grew wider. "I babysitted you once as well."

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

The sparkle in Dumbledore's eyes had gone out. Snape fixed his features as to not betray his feelings.

Rosa buried her face back into Sirius's shoulder. Tears dampened his robes but he just held her tighter and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Rosalind. **

Rosa grimaced, whenever she heard her full name it made her think she was in trouble.

**But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Rosa Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone." **

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. **

**"It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Rosa survive?"**

**"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

'Bet he does,' she thought.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?" **

**"I've come to bring Rosa to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now." **

**"You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall,** **jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.**

"Go Professor!" shouted Rosa. Sirius flinched at how loud she had shouted.

"Ouch, Rosa." She smiled an apology.

'Wish he had listened to her,' she thought. She hid her face back into his shoulder.

**"Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Rosa Potter come and live here!"**

"Thanks for trying professor," she said. McGonagall gave her a sad smile. It was obvious she hadn't won. 'I can only wish.'

**"It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter."**

Rosa rolled her eyes and snorted. It was muffled by Sirius's shoulder so no one heard it.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand her! She'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Rosa Potter day in the future**

Rosa had never thought of this before and she paled slightly. "Please tell me it's not true."

"No," said Dumbledore. "The paper work had gotten lost." Rosa let out a breath she hadn't been aware of holding. She looked relieved.

"Thank Merlin." The people in the room sent her amused looks while Malfoy and Draco looked shocked.

'Potter doesn't like her fame?' Draco thought.

'Perhaps she is not like her father as I originally thought,' Snape thought to himself.

**— there will be books written about Rosa — every child in our world will know her name!"**

The twins snickered. "Like this one," George laughed. Rosa sent him a glare.

**"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even remember!**

'Not exactly true,' thought Rosa sadly. Hermione, Ron, and Remus sent her sad looks.

**Can you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"**

"Couldn't I have gone to another Muggle home or an orphanage?" Dumbledore shook his head gravely.

"No. If it is not explained then I shall tell you."

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Rosa underneath it.**

Rosa made a face. So did plenty of the other people.

**"Hagrid's bringing her." **

**"You think it —wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I'd trust Hagrid with my life," Rosa said confidently.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Rosa sent Dumbledore a smile. His eyes sparkled as he smiled back at her.

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?" **

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"That's mine," Sirius said proudly. Rosa grinned up at him.

"I remembered the bike."

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms**

"That makes him sound scary," Ginny stated.

"At first he seems scary," Neville said.

"It's his eyes that show that he's not someone to be afraid of," Luna said dreamily.

**he was holding a bundle of blankets.** **"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" **

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got her, sir."**

**"No problems, were there?" **

**"No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

The women in the room cooed. Rosa blushed and hid her face in Sirius's chest. His chest moved with silent laughter.

He too joined in. "Traitor." This only had him laughing louder.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep.**

The room once again was filled with people cooing. "You were adorable as a baby," Remus stated. There were many sounds of agreement. Rosa didn't say anything just kept hiding her face that by this point felt really hot.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hair over her forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.** **"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever."**

Rosa unconsciously tried to flatten her fringe over her scar.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" **

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one**

**myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Seriously?" Ron asked.

"Indeed, Mr. Weasley." He sent him a slight smile.

**Well — give her here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took Rosa in his arms**

"Aw you're being held by the Headmaster," the twins cooed. Rosa rolled her eyes at them.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Sirius said. Rosa sent him a curious glance.

"What do you mean?"

"Albus has held you before. So has Moody." Remus snickered.

"You're the only child that wouldn't cry when he held you." He shook his head fondly.

"Tried to take my blue eye out one time," Moody stated. Rosa blushed.

"You had everyone wrapped around your finger," Sirius said.

**and turned toward the Dursleys' house. "Could I — could I say good-bye to her sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Rosa and gave her what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"I take offense to that," huffed Sirius. The children (besides Percy and Malfoy) grinned.

**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!" **

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Rosa off ter live with Muggles —"**

"Not all Muggles are bad," Arthur said.

"No just these Muggles," mumbled Rosa. Only Remus heard her due to his werewolf hearing. He stared at her curiously before going back to reading.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Rosa gently on the doorstep,** **took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Rosa's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"You all seem to care for her," Luna stated. Everyone that did nodded and smiled fondly at her. Rosa blushed and went back to hiding. Sirius chuckled lightly and stroked her head soothingly.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night. **

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

Snape looked amused by this action from his colleague.

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

**"Good luck, Rosa," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"I'll need it," Rosa whispered into Sirius's shoulder. No one heard this however.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Rosalind Potter rolled over inside her blankets without waking up.**

**One small hand closed on the letter beside her and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by her cousin Dudley…**

Growls echoed throughout the room at this. 'If this is how they react to this I'm afraid to see how they react to the other secrets I have,' thought Rosa to herself. She wasn't looking forward to them finding out.

**She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Rosa Potter — the girl who lived!"**

"That's the end of it," Remus said. "The next chapter is **The Vanishing Glass." **

Rosa paled. It seemed her secret was going to come out sooner than she thought.

"I'll read," Bill said. Rosa panicked and shot to her feet.

"No! I'll read." She couldn't let them find out about the cupboard and other things that the Dursleys did. Hermione gazed at her. She knew she was hiding something.

"Someone else should," Hermione said.

"I will," Charlie said while taking the book from Remus before Rosa could grab it. Rosa sunk back down to her seat in defeat. This wasn't going to go well.

"**The Vanishing Glass,"** Charlie read.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Chapter Two

The Vanishing Glass

**"The Vanishing Glass," **Charlie read. Rosa stiffened knowing that one of her secrets would be revealed during this chapter. She sighed and buried her face into Sirius's shoulder.

Sirius stared down at the girl confused. He was getting a bad feeling about this chapter.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their niece on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. **

"That's boring," winced the twins. The thought that nothing had changed didn't agree with the twins.

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. **

"What boring people," said Neville.

**Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets**

At this the kids snickered. Rosa more than the others because she had actually seen the dreadful photos.

**-but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousal at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another child lived in the house, too. **

"Why wasn't there a sign," asked Neville. Rosa sighed and turned her bright emerald eyes toward him.

"I'm sure it will tell you," she answered, even though deep down she wished that no such thing would happen. 'I can wish can't I,' she thought.

**Yet Rosa Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. Her Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. **

"What a wonderful way to wake up," Ginny said her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Absolutely horrid," Rosa muttered into Sirius's shoulder.

**"Up! Get Up! Now!" Rosa woke with a start. Her aunt rapped on the door again. **

Snape grimaced.

**"Up!" she screeched. Rosa heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. She rolled onto her back grimacing slightly as she did so. She tried to remember the dream she had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. She had a funny feeling she'd had the same dream before. **

Rosa had stiffened at the mention of her grimacing. Thankfully no one had commented on it.

"You could remember that?" Ron asked. Rosa only nodded not feeling like commenting. Her insides turned into ice at the thought of her secret getting out.

**Her aunt was back outside the door. "Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

**"Nearly," said Rosa. **

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." **

"They make you cook!" Mrs. Weasley asked outraged. Rosa didn't even answer knowing it wasn't really a question. "When did you start?" Her voice was stiff and filled with anger.

"I started cooking when I was tall enough to see over the stove." Sirius stiffened next to her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him.

**Rosa groaned. "What did you say?" her aunt snapped through the door. **

"She didn't say anything," snapped Ron. The woman was rubbing Ron the wrong way. He couldn't understand how Rosa survived her this long. These people were getting on his nerves and he's only read about them for a short time.

**"Nothing, nothing…" Dudley's birthday- how could she have forgotten? **

Ron smirked. "Yeah Rosa how could you have forgotten something so important. Shame on you." Rosa glared at him.

**Rosa got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. She winced as she moved her bruised ribs. Last night's beating had left her stiff. **

At these words there were several growls that echoed throughout the room. Sirius pulled her onto his lap and buried his face into her hair. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It wasn't your fault," she whispered back. Remus growled and Rosa could see the wolf surface. She reached out and grabbed his hand. The movement calmed him slightly.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Hermione demanded. Rosa just shook her head not wanting to talk about it.

"We're talking about this later," Sirius whispered. That was a conversation that Rosa wasn't looking forward to.

**She found a pair under her bed and, after pulling a spider**

Ron shuddered. Fred glanced over at his younger brother with guilt covered features.

**Off one of them, put them on. Rosa was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where she slept. **

A tense silence followed. Sirius stiffened and wrapped his arms tighter around her like he was trying to tell himself that she was alright. Remus's grip on her hand tightened.

"They made you sleep in the cupboard?" growled several people.

"She's never going back there, Albus," said Sirius. Albus looked grave and the sparkle in his eyes had gone out.

"She must." His tone had a finality about it. "It will most likely be explained in the books."

"She can't go back, Albus," McGonagall said. "They beat her." McGonagall almost chocked on those words.

"If she leaves before she comes of age her relatives will be in danger." Rosa buried her head in Sirius's shoulder. She wanted to leave the Dursleys but she couldn't let them be in danger either.

"We can give them some other kind of protection," Sirius said. "Even if they don't deserve it." His tone had grown hard with a dangerous tint to it. "She's not going back."

"We can talk about this after the books are done," was all Albus said. It took a few minutes for people to get calmed down before they could read again.

Malfoy stared at Rosa in shock. 'Potter was abused? She wasn't pampered and spoiled like he had originally thought.' Snape was pale as he remembered his own childhood. He didn't wish that on any child not even Potter.

**When she was dressed she went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. **

"Spoiled brat," Tonks hissed.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Rosa, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise- unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"That better not be you," growled Charlie his hands tightened on the book.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Rosa, **

The room erupted in growls. Snape sneered while Percy and Malfoy kept their faces blank.

Percy didn't much like the girl because of her lies about Voldemort but he didn't want this for her.

**But he couldn't often catch her. Rosa didn't look it, but she was very fast. **

"At least you have that," sighed Bill.

"They don't punish him do they," hissed Hermione. Rosa shook her head.

"Dudley couldn't do anything bad in their eyes and what do they care when they do the exact same thing." Sirius let out another growl at this statement.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Rosa had always been small and skinny for her age. **

"The Potter curse," Sirius said with a smile. He still held her in his lap and finally let her slide to sit next to him. Remus however kept a firm hold on her hand. He still hadn't gotten full control over his anger.

"The Potter curse?" Rosa asked curiously.

"Skinny, small, untidy hair until sixteen," Sirius smirked.

"Normally they fall in love with red heads," Remus added. Rosa rolled her eyes.

**She looked even smaller and skinnier than she really was because all she had were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than she was. Rosa had a thin face, knobby knees, long black hair, and bright green eyes. **

"Your mother's eyes," smiled Remus. Rosa smiled back.

**She wore round glasses held together with a lot of scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched her on the nose. **

There was another round of growls and Rosa sighed. "This happened four years ago guys let it go."

"This is a big deal," Bill said. "We can't just let it go."

"There's nothing you can do about it." She glared at them so they wouldn't bring it up again. "So glad I no longer have glasses," she said trying to change the conversation. This time they all glared at her.

**The only thing Rosa liked the most about her own appearance was a very thin scar on her forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

"I can't believe you actually liked it," Ron said. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"Wait for it," she said.

**She had had it as long as she could remember, and the first question she could remember asking her Aunt Petunia was how she had gotten it. "In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. **

"They told you what!" growled Remus and Sirius. They had both jumped to their feet.

"That's disgusting," hissed Mad eye.

**"And don't ask questions." Don't ask questions- that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. **

"How are you supposed to learn?" asked McGonagall.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Rosa was turning over the bacon. "Comb your hair!" he barked, by the way of a morning greeting. **

"That's not going to work," stated Sirius. The twins snickered something about the Potter curse. Rosa reached up to try to flatten her hair. It had gotten better now that it almost reached the middle of her back.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Rosa needed a haircut. Rosa must have had more haircuts than the rest of the children in her class put together, but it made no difference, her hair simply grew that way- all over the place. **

**Rosa was frying eggs and trying to not move a lot when Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. **

"Lovely," Hermione said.

"Didn't know you went for those types," Rosa said teasingly. "I can set you up if you want." Hermione glared and a pillow at her. With seeker like reflexes Rosa snatched the pillow from the air before it could hit her.

"You and your stupid Seeker reflexes," mumbled Hermione. Rosa laughed and threw the pillow back at her. This time the pillow hit its mark.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel- Rosa often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. **

The twins burst out laughing along with Sirius. "Nice one, Rosie," Sirius said. Rosa snapped her eyes in the direction of her godfather. This was the first time he had ever called her that. She liked it.

"When did you get so funny?" George asked. Rosa shrugged.

"You've got your mothers wit," Remus stated.

**Rosa put the plates of eggs and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"I said it once I'll say it again," Tonks began. "What a spoiled brat."

"Even I don't get that many presents," Malfoy stated. "It's a ridiculous amount." A few people stared at Malfoy in shock but didn't comment.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Aunt Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from mummy and daddy." **

"Is that the same aunt that you-," Ron began but Rosa glared at him effectively shutting him up. Several people stared between the trio in confusion and curiosity.

**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face, Rosa, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down her bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. **

"Don't eat to face dear," Mrs. Weasley said. Rosa smiled at her while shaking her head.

"Dear you're talking to a book," Mr. Weasley said. She blushed.

"Did he do that a lot?" McGonagall asked. "Turning over the table?"

"When he throws a tantrum, yes. He's done it plenty of times."

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

"That is not how you deal with tantrums," Mrs. Weasley said with a shake of her head.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…" **

"Oh Merlin he can't even count," said Hermione. Her face was twisted up in shock.

"It's ridiculous," stated McGonagall.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. **

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." Uncle Vernon chuckled. **

**"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

"Don't encourage it," hissed Hermione.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Rosa and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video game, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen computer games, and a VCR. **

Arthur shook his head as he wrote down the new Muggle devices. 'That was going overboard,' he thought.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. "Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figgs has broken her leg. She can't take her." She jerked her head in Rosa's direction. **

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Rosa's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Rosa was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away.**

"Arabella Figg?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Dumbledore nodded.

**Rosa hated it there. The whole house smelled of old cabbage and Mrs. Figg made her look at photographs of all her cats she'd ever owned. **

Rosa sighed she wished she'd known what Mrs. Figg really was back then. Sirius scowled.

"I hate cats," he said. Then quickly added, "Besides Crookshanks" when he saw the look on Hermione's face.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Rosa as though she'd planned this. Rosa knew she ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when she reminded herself it would be a whole year before she had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

The trio snickered at the mention of Aunt Marge. "What are we missing out on?" Charlie asked them.

"Third book," Rosa said. Charlie shook his head but began reading again.

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl."**

There were more scowls. "That girl has a name," Ginny said irritably, the Dursleys were pushing her buttons.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Rosa like this, as though she wasn't there — or rather, as though she was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

More scowls while Sirius and Remus growled.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"**

**"On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Rosa put in hopefully (she'd be able to watch what she wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"But you'd enjoy yourself and we can't have that," Neville said bitterly. Rosa sent him a small smile.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

There was some snickering and what sounded like someone saying "What's changed?" At this Rosa couldn't help but laugh.

"Not much," she gasped out.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Rosa, but they weren't listening.**

Rosa started to laugh again. "No I'll leave that to Mr. Weasley," she gasped out in between her laughter. The ones who wasn't present during this gazed curiously at her.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"Fourth book," she said. Mr. Weasley blushed.

**"I suppose we could take her to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave her in the car…"**

"She's not a dog," growled Remus. Sirius looked angry that they would even try that.

**"That car's new, she's not sitting in it alone…"**

"You shouldn't be worried about the car," snapped McGonagall. "Worry about the child. That's your niece." Rosa knew that they could care less.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"Brat," Tonks said in irritation.

**"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let her spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I… don't… want… her… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "She always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Rosa a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"Such a horrible child," McGonagall said.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother.**

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Oh, yes," Hermione said. "Wouldn't want your friend to think you were a wimp."

**Half an hour later, Rosa, who couldn't believe her luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in her life. Her aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with her, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Rosa aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Rosa's, "I'm warning you now, girl**

"Can't anyone call you by your name?" asked Ron irritably.

**— Any funny business, anything at all —**

Charlie stopped reading and his eyes grew wide with horror. His eyes found Rosa. "What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked but Charlie didn't answer her because he was still staring at Rosa.

Rosa felt uncomfortable under his stare and fidgeted in her seat. She knew what her Uncle had said and understood why he was acting this way. Instead of answering Charlie began to read again but his voice held anger in it.

**and you'll not have any meals for a week**

A heavy silence filled the room. Rosa refused to meet anyone's eyes. This wasn't exactly the kind of secret you wanted to get out. She didn't want their pitying looks. Didn't need them. Sirius was the first to react.

He grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. Snape was the one to ask the question that was on everyone's mind. "How often?" Rosa looked up to meet his tunnel like eyes.

"Does it matter?" His eyes grew hard but it was Remus that answered.

"Does it matter?" he growled. "Of course it matters Rosa. It matters to all of us." She sighed.

"It was in the past. It's no longer happening. Just let it go."

"Rosa we're not just going to let it go," snapped Sirius. "They have been abusing you all these years. We're not just going to turn a blind eye to that." Rosa sighed.

"There isn't anything you can do about it now." Sirius sighed.

"We'll talk about this too."

**and then in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Rosa, "honestly…" But Uncle Vernon didn't believe her. No one ever did. The problem was, strange things often happened around Rosa and it was just no good telling the Dursleys she didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Rosa coming back from the barbers looking as though she hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut her hair into a very badly shaped bob though her left her fringe, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Rosa, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where she was already laughed at for her baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

More growls. Rosa figured that this was just going to keep everyone in the room angry. There was no point in reading if they were too angry to read it.

"Why don't we just skip the Dursleys?" Sirius shook his head and looked down at her.

"No we've got to see what they've done." Sirius kept her in his lap and refused to let her go. He wrapped her in his arms as if trying to protect her from past deeds.

**Next morning, however, she had gotten up to find her hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off, three quarters of the way down her back.** **She hadn't been given food for three days**

At the reminder of them starving her people scowled and growled at the book. Charlie was getting slightly worried for his safety while the book was in his possession. Rosa hid her face and snuggled closer to Sirius.

**and a week in her cupboard for this, along with a beating even though she had tried to explain that she couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly. Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force her into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

"Ew, that's revolting," someone said.

**The harder she tried to pull it over her head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Rosa. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her great relief, Rosa wasn't punished.**

Relieved sighs sounded throughout the room. They were all glad the Petunia hadn't punished her.

Even Percy and Draco were relieved. They weren't cold hearted.

**On the other hand, she'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing her as usual when, as much to Rosa's surprise as anyone else's, there she was sitting on the chimney.**

"That's really strong accidental magic," Mad eye said.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Rosa's headmistress telling them Rosa had been climbing school buildings. But all she'd tried to do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of her cupboard, after being told she wasn't having any food for a week and a sprained wrist.)**

Everyone stiffened and glared harder at the book. Rosa tightened her grip on Sirius to try to calm him.

**was jump behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Rosa supposed that the wind must have caught her in mid-jump.**

Snape sent her a look that said 'really'. The twins snickered.

"That was a really bad excuse," snickered George. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"I was nine leave me alone."

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.**

"You had to jinx it didn't you?" asked Ron.

"It wasn't all that bad."

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, her cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Rosa, the council, Rosa, the bank, and Rosa were just a few of his favorite subjects.**

"He really doesn't like you," stated Neville.

"The feeling is mutual," Rosa said. Ron and Hermione had clenched their hands and were looking particularly murderous. They were her best friends and Ron even shared a dorm with her. How did they miss this?

**This morning, it was motorcycles. "…roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Rosa, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

Sirius groaned. "You shouldn't have said that Rosie."

"I know that now," she grumbled.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Rosa, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**"I know they don't," said Rosa. "It was only a dream."**

**But she wished she hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than her asking questions, it was her talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think she might get dangerous ideas.**

"Never let those two watch them," McGonagall told Mrs. Weasley while glaring at the twins. Rosa looked over to the culprits.

"The wizarding world might not survive that," she said. This only seemed to make the twins curious about what these cartoons were.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Rosa what she wanted before they could hurry her away, they bought her a cheap lemon ice pop.**

**It wasn't bad, either, Rosa thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blonde.**

This caused the room to untense as everyone laughed at the description. "You just insulted the gorilla," Fred said.

"My bad," laughed Rosa.

**Rosa had the best morning she'd had in a long time. She was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting her.**

Snarls filled the room once more. "They better not," Remus said in a strained voice.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Rosa was allowed to finish the first.**

"That was nice," Hermione said uncertainly.

**Rosa felt, afterward, that she should have known it was all too good to last. After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"That poor creature," Luna said in a sympathetic voice. Many people jumped at her dreamy voice. They had forgotten that she was even here.

**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Rosa moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least she got to visit the rest of the house.**

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Rosa's. It winked.**

"That's physically impossible," said Hermione. "They don't have eyelids."

"Well Rosa is a Parselmouth," Sirius said. Rosa looked up at him in shock.

"How-"

"The article last year. You didn't think we would care did you Rosie?" She didn't reply. "Well we don't," he said sternly.

**Rosa stared. Then she looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"This didn't seem strange to you?" Malfoy asked. She shrugged.

"Not really. A lot of strange things happened to me. This just fell into that category."

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Rosa a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Rosa murmured through the glass, though she wasn't sure the snake could hear her. "It must be really annoying." The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Rosa asked. The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Rosa peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?" The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Bella read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

"I must agree with Malfoy," Charlie said looking like it pained him to. "You didn't even know you're a witch and yet here you are having a conversation with a snake like it happens every day." Rosa just rolled her eyes at him and didn't comment.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Rosa made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Rosa in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Rosa fell hard on the concrete floor gasping. It was the same spot that had been bruised last night. She sucked in a breath and gripped her aching ribs. **

Sirius tightened his grip once more. "Ouch, Sirius."

"Sorry." He loosened it slightly.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What did you do?" Tonks asked. Charlie had read on and let out a chuckle.

"Do share," sneered Snape.

**Rosa sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

Everyone found this funny but only the kids rolled on the floor laughing. Rosa pictured the day in her mind and couldn't help but laugh harder. That had been a sight to see.

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Rosa could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amiga."**

"What a nice snake," Luna said dreamily.

"I wonder if it ever made it to Brazil," Rosa thought out loud.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. "But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Rosa had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

At this people couldn't help but roll their eyes. "What baby's," muttered Ginny.

**But worst of all, for Rosa at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Rosa was talking to it, weren't you, Rosa?"**

Rosa flinched when remembering her punishment. "Stupid boy," Snape said but he noticed Rosa's action and was sure he wasn't going to like what was about to be said.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Rosa. He was so angry he grabbed her by her hair.**

This caused everyone to glare at the book. Rosa thought that if they glared at it much longer it would disappear up in flames.

**"What happened?" he barked.**

**"I swear I don't know" Rosa said, he growled at her. "One minute the glass was there and then it was gone. It was like magic!"**

"Probably not the best thing to say Rosie, love," Sirius whispered.

**"There is no such thing as magic!"**

This caused a lot of people to growl. "Liar," Fred said. "He knows magic

exists."

'They wonder why proper pureblood families hate Muggles,' Draco thought.

**he bellowed forcing Rosa into her cupboard (after her beating) locking the door. Rosa saw his moustache through the little golden shutters in the door. **

**"No meals for a week." He growled and closed the little shutters; leaving Rosa in the pitch black.**

Mrs. Weasley started crying as she stared at Rosa in Sirius's lap.

**Rosa lay in her dark cupboard much later, wishing she had a watch. She didn't know what time it was and she couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, she couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"Explains how your never caught out after curfew," muttered Snape. Rosa just sent him an innocent look that clearing said 'who me?' He sneered at her.

**She'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as she could remember, ever since she'd been a baby and her parents had died in that car crash. She couldn't remember being in the car when her parents had died. Sometimes, when she strained her memory during long hours in her cupboard, she came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on her forehead.**

Everyone paled. "You can remember that?" Sirius asked quietly but everyone heard. Rosa nodded.

"Even before the Dementors." Remus said. Another nod.

**This, she supposed, was the crash, though she couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. She couldn't remember her parents at all.**

This caused more pitying looks to be sent her way. All this did was irritate Rosa more.

**Her aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course she was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

"Disgusting," spat Mad eye. "The Dursleys should be ashamed of there selves."

"It hasn't even mentioned their names," whispered Hermione.

"Did you even know their names?" Mad eye asked.

"No." Sirius hugged her to him.

**When she had been younger, Rosa had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take her away,**

At this both Remus and Sirius looked guilty. Rosa positioned herself so she could hold Remus's hand.

"Don't blame yourselves," she whispered to them. Both still were guilt ridden.

"If you want to blame anyone blame the Ministry," she said. Percy sent her a dirty look. She just glared back.

**but it had never happened; the Dursleys were her only family. Yet sometimes she thought that strangers in the street seemed to know her. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

This bothered Dumbledore. 'Nobody was supposed to know where she was,' he thought.

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to her once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Rosa furiously if she knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at her once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken her hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Rosa tried to get a closer look.**

"They shouldn't be so careless," sneered Snape.

**At school, Rosa had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Rosa Potter in her baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That's the end of the chapter," Charlie said while closing the book.

"We should all turn in," Dumbledore announced. "It had been late when we were taken here." Once the words had left his mouth a flash of bright light filled the room like before. Also like before a note appeared in Rosa's hand.

_Dear friends,_

_Shortly after you wake up two more guests shall be joining you. Now these two may not be welcomed by some of you and the same rules apply. There will be no judging. We have provided rooms for you but you must decide who goes where. Along with the rooms are bathrooms and a kitchen has been provided. _

_Hermione Granger and others _

As soon as Rosa was done reading the note said rooms appeared along with a kitchen.

"Who goes where?" Hermione asked. Mad eye and Dumbledore began assigning. Rosa got paired with McGonagall. Then Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Tonks got one. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shared one. Snape, Draco, and the new arrivals would be sharing one. Sirius and Remus were to share. Fred, George, Ron, and Neville took one while Charlie and Bill shared another. Then Dumbledore and Mad eye took the last one.

As soon as they were determined everyone went to bed. Rosa was out once her head hit the pillow.

**I have decided on who she is going to be paired up with. Theodore Nott. Someone mentioned him to me and decided that he would be perfect. I've also got a twist to the pairing that I hope you all will like. **

**Along with Theodore I'm bring Blaise Zabini. I was wondering if I should pair him up with Ginny or not? Tell me what you guys think in a review.**

**Thanks for the ones who suggested Rosa's pairings. There's a few other ideas that I'm going to go with that people had also suggested. **


	4. The Letters From No One

Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone

ChapterFour

The Letters From No One

Rosa was awoken by the noises that McGonagall was making. Her professor was just getting done putting her hair up in a bun. At the sounds Rosa was making as she sat up McGonagall smiled over at her. "Good morning Miss. Potter."

"Morning Professor." McGonagall grabbed an emerald green cloak and clasped it.

"Molly has announced that breakfast is done. I suggest you get ready. The new arrivals should be here soon." With those words and with a swish of her cloak she had exited the room leaving Rosa behind to get ready.

Rosa dressed in Muggle clothing. A pair of pants and a T-shirt that had her favorite soccer team on it. She kept her hair down to let it frame her face. As she was doing this she wondered who the new arrivals would be. Who would be less than welcome here? That left either Slytherins or Death Eaters. She highly doubted that their future selves would bring Death Eaters so that left only Slytherins.

Rosa had just sat down at the table when there were two loud pops just like yesterday. She quickly recognized Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Everyone besides her jumped to her feet with their wands pointing at the two new arrivals.

"Put your wands down," demanded Rosa. "They're obviously the new arrivals." She turned to face the table again and filled her plate with bacon and eggs. She filled her goblet with pumpkin juice and casually waved them over.

"Check them," ordered Mad eye. Rosa rolled her eyes but turned to Malfoy.

"Go on Malfoy," said Rosa. "You're the only one that knows them enough to tell if it's really them." Malfoy stood but didn't look happy about it.

"Is this really necessary," he muttered to her as he past. "It's not like your future selves would bring people that they didn't trust." Rosa nodded.

"Just indulge him." Malfoy strode over to his two mates and they whispered back and forth.

"Its them," Malfoy announced.

"Can we trust his word?" asked Ron. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"Yes Ron we can trust his word," she said irritated. Rosa grabbed her last piece of toast and ate it. "Let's go read and get this over with." She stood from her place at the table and walked over to the couches.

Theodore and Blaise followed her while Theo sat next to her with Blaise on his other side. Sirius followed after and sat on Rosa's other side. One by one the group took their seats.

"Who wants to read first?" Charlie asked. Bill raised his hand.

"I'll read." Charlie stood up and handed him the book.

**"Letters from no one,"** Bill read.

"Ooooh!" Fred exclaimed. "You get your Hogwarts letter."

"Do you finally learn about magic?" Hermione asked.

"You'll see," was all Rosa said.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Rosa her worst and longest-ever punishment.**

This caused many people to either growl or tense. Rosa sighed and shook her head.

**By the time she was allowed out of her cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and her bruises had healed**

This caused many growls. Blaise and Theo weren't here for the beatings but they had figured out what everyone seemed so mad about. Theo clenched his fists by his side.

He didn't like the thought that she was getting hurt. Blaise who knew why Theo was acting this way grabbed his arm and gave him a pointed look. "She's alright," whispered Blaise to Theo. The only person who heard was Remus and he gazed curiously at the two new arrivals.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"Horrid boy," said McGonagall. "No respect at all."

**Rosa was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"What great reasoning," muttered Remus.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Rosa Hunting.**

Theodore stiffened again and Rosa looked at him from the corner of her eyes with curiosity.

**This was why Rosa spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where she could see a tiny ray of hope.**

You didn't know about Hogwarts," Malfoy began. "What could you be looking forward too?"

"I was going to a different school than Dudley," Rosa answered.

**When September came she would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in her life, she wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Rosa, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"Why?" asked Hermione. Rosa shook her head.

"You'll see."

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Rosa. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"He better not have," growled several people. Rosa shook her head and Bill began to laugh as he had read on.

"You crack me up Rosa," he said before reading. Everyone gazed at him in confusion.

**"No, thanks," said Rosa. "The poor toilets never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick."**

The whole room erupted in laughter (bar Snape who smirked and Percy who kept a blank face). They twins had fallen to the floor clutching their sides as they laughed with tears streaming down their faces.

"Nice one," laughed Sirius.

"When did you get so funny?" George asked.

"I've always been funny," Rosa said. "I just don't have many reasons to show it." This seemed to sober everyone up. Rosa wished she hadn't said anything.

**Then she ran, before Dudley could work out what she'd said.**

"How very Slytherin of you," stated Snape. Rosa raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that supposed to be an insult sir?" She smiled sweetly at him. He blinked and looked at her in amazement before quickly rearranging his features to be one of indifference.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Rosa at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual.**

That's good," said Hermione.

**It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Rosa watch television and gave her a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

Remus looked scandalized. "That poor chocolate!" Rosa leaned over Sirius to give him an amused look. "Don't give me that look. Chocolate should be worshiped." Rosa shook her head.

"No one is as obsessed with chocolate as you are, Remus," she said. Remus twisted his features to one of shock before he grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. Rosa laughed and tried to dodge the pillow but got hit. She threw it back at him but he was able to dodge.

"Stupid werewolf reflexes," she grumbled.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"How is that good training for life?" asked Blaise. Rosa shrugged.

"It's kind of like what we do," Hermione said. "When we throw hexes at each other in the corridors." Theo shook his head.

"No its not," he said. "Throwing hexes at each other really is good training for later life." Everyone seemed to agree with this statement.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Rosa didn't trust herself to speak. She thought two of her ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

No one in the room showed such restraint. The twins were back on the floor along with Sirius. Rosa was laughing as she pictured that day in her head. She clutched her stomach and doubled over with tears running down her cheeks.

After a few minutes she tried to get her breathing back to normal but would burst out in random giggles. She gasped for air as someone began to rub her back. "Breath Rosa," Ron said from across the room.

She straightened back out and wiped the tears from her face. "Ah it was just hilarious. You have no idea how bad I wanted to do that then."

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Rosa went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. She went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water.**

**"What's this?" she asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if she dared to ask a question.**

**"Your new school uniform," she said. Rosa looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," she said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

"Sarcasm will get you nowhere with her Potter," Snape said. Rosa looked at him curiously.

"Yes I know that now."

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." Rosa seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue.**

Snape raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I can bite my tongue," Rosa sniffed.

"For some reason I find this hard to believe," he said.

**She sat down at the table and tried not to think about how she was going to look on her first day at Stonewall High — like she was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

"You have a weird imagination," Blaise said. Rosa shrugged.

"I can't control my thought process."

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Rosa's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"Merlin they actually make him go and get it?" asked Ginny.

"Hell has frozen over," Hermione said

"Wait for it," said Rosa.

**"Make Rosa get it."**

**"Get the mail, Rosalind."**

"He actually knows your name?" asked Ron.

"Yes but at times it seems he has forgotten."

"Why does Dudley call you Rosa while your Uncle doesn't?" Luna asked.

"Dudley hears the teachers calling me by that," Rosa said. "He's just picked up on it."

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke her with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Rosa dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — a letter for Rosa.**

**Rosa picked it up and stared at it, her heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in her whole life, had written to her.**

"Not true," Ginny said. "We've written to you."

"And plenty of other kids," Ron added. Rosa looked confused by this.

"Really?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "They're in your trust fund. If you would like I could get them for you?"

"No!" shouted the Weasley children. Rosa arched an eyebrow at this.

"I want to see them," she said. Dumbledore chuckled at this but nodded. The Weasley children grew pale. This only made Rosa want to read them more.

**Who would? She had no friends, no other relatives — she didn't belong to the library, so she'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**_Miss. R. Potter_**

**_The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive_**

At the mention of the cupboard Theo clenched his fists again and gritted his teeth. He really wanted to go find her relatives.

"Why didn't anyone-"Rosa started but was cut off by Dumbledore.

"A magic quill does it for us."

"We should start checking it," McGonagall said. Dumbledore nodded glumly.

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

Rosa smiled fondly at the memory of Mrs. Weasleys letter.

**Turning the envelope over, her hand trembling, Rosa saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

**"Hurry up, girl!"**

"Can't he use your name?" snapped Ginny. "It's not hard. Just two syllables."

**shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"That was suppose to be a joke?" asked George. His face was scrunched up like he had smelt something foul.

"Not a very good one," Fred said.

**Rosa went back to the kitchen, still staring at her letter. She handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"Slowly Rosa?" Neville asked.

"Hey it was my first letter," she said. "I wanted to cherish it." They rolled their eyes at her.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. "Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Rosa's got something!"**

**Rosa was on the point of unfolding her letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of her hand by Uncle Vernon.**

**"That's mine!" said Rosa, trying to snatch it back.**

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon,**

"A lot of people apparently," she said. She was acting like it wasn't a big deal but everyone else was. She even noticed Theodore looking mad at this. She was highly curious about him and actually had a crush on him at one time.

Merlin she hoped that wouldn't be in one of the books. How embarrassing.

**shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge.**

"How lovely," Bill said sarcastically.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

"What a drama queen," Hermione said.

"That's aunt Petunia for you," Rosa said. Secretly Snape agreed with her. Not that he would tell her that.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Rosa and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

**"I want to read it," said Rosa furiously, "as it's mine."**

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope. Rosa didn't move.**

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" she shouted.**

"Ah, the Lily temper," Sirius said.

"Good to see that it lives on," Remus said with a fond smile.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"It's not even yours you brat!" yelled Tonks.

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Rosa and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them.**

"Don't touch her," growled Sirius and Remus. Theo showed restraint and kept his mouth shut. It would be weird if he had said anything.

** Rosa and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won,**

The twins gave her disappointed faces.

"He's like four times my size," she said. "Of course he's going to win."

**so Rosa, her glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on her stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"So glad I got rid of those," she mumbled to herself.

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where she sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"We have better things to do than stalk you," sneered Snape.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —"**

**Rosa could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…"**

**"But —"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took her in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

Rosa winced at the expressions this sentence was getting. Even though they knew what had been happening it was still a bad subject for them.

"Stamp out," Snape whispered too quietly for anyone to hear. He was remembering his own childhood. It seemed this book would be bringing back many of the memories. He wished Rosa never had to go through any of this.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Rosa in her cupboard.**

"He didn't do anything did he?" snarled Sirius. Rosa raised an eyebrow at this.

"No. He just wanted to talk." Sirius obviously didn't believe this because he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. Theo was having trouble keeping himself from doing the same thing. If it wasn't for Blaise he probably already would have.

**"Where's my letter?" said Rosa, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.**

"How could it be addressed to you by mistake?" asked Theo. "It was pretty accurate."

**"I have burned it."**

**"It was not a mistake," said Rosa angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

At the mention of spiders Ron shivered.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

**"Er — yes, Rosalind — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

"His second bedroom?" whispered Remus but his voice was laced with anger and it filled the whole room.

"He had two bedrooms!" yelled Sirius furiously. Theo shook slightly from anger but clenched his hands and fought it down. However two other males in the room were not showing the same restraint.

They had jumped to their feet. Rosa stood up and grabbed both of their hands and dragged them back over to the couches.

**"Why?" said Rosa.**

"Why would you question it?" Ginny asked. Rosa shrugged.

"He's never done anything nice before I thought there was a catch." Mad eye nodded.

"Constant Vigilance!"

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped her uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now." The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms:**

The whole room felt like it had been dipped in ice. Rosa shivered slightly at the angered faces. Even Malfoy seemed outraged by this.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Bella one trip upstairs to move everything she owned from the cupboard to this room. She sat down on the bed and stared around her. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

Hermione looked scandalized by this. Rosa smirked at her friend.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want her in there… I need that room… make her get out…"**

**Rosa sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday she'd have given anything to be up here. Today she'd rather be back in her cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

Rosa blushed at the looks she was getting. "Merlin I hate these books." She already knew these were going to get embarrassing. Her only happy thought was that others would also share her embarrassment.

** Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

Everyone looked horrified at this. "He really is a spoiled horrid child," Tonks said. No one disagreed with her.

** Rosa was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing she'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Rosa, made Dudley go and get it.**

"Oh he wasn't being nice," Charlie said bitterly. "He just didn't want you to have a chance on opening the letter." At this Rosa couldn't help but agree. The others seemed to also agree but they weren't happy about it.

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Miss. P. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Rosa right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Rosa had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.**

Rosa, Ron, and Hermione roared with laughter at this. The others were trying to figure out what they had missed.

"Practicing Rosa?" Ron asked in between gasps of breath.

"Necks about the same size," she gasped back.

"At least you didn't stick something up its nose," Hermione added. They fell into another fit of laughter. Bill began to read again once they had calmed down.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Rosa's letter clutched in his hand.**

"Oh you didn't get it," someone said.

**"Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Rosa. "Dudley — go — just go."**

**Rosa walked round and round her new room. Someone knew she had moved out of her cupboard and they seemed to know she hadn't received her first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time she'd make sure they didn't fail. She had a plan.**

Ron and Hermione groaned. "What?" Tonks asked.

"Rosa's plans don't always go according to plan," Ron said.

"Unless it's a life or death situation or the spur of the moment thing," Hermione said after seeing the look on Rosa's face.

"My plans are not that bad," grumbled Rosa. Sirius laughed.

"James' plans went the same way," he said.

"Just minus the life or death," frowned Remus.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Rosa turned it off quickly and dressed silently. She mustn't wake the Dursleys. She stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**She was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. Her heart hammered as she crept across the dark hall toward the front door —**

**"AAAAARRRGH!"**

**Rosa leapt into the air; she'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something alive!**

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to her horror Rosa realised that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

The teens laughed at this. "You stepped on his face!" laughed the twins.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Rosa didn't do exactly what she'd been trying to do. He shouted at Rosa for about half an hour and then told her to go and make a cup of tea. Rosa shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time she got back, the mail had arrived,**

"Bad luck," winced Tonks.

**right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Rosa could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

**"I want —" she began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before her eyes.**

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day.**

"Someone's paranoid," said Ginny.

**He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot. "See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"Listen to your wife," muttered Mad eye.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Thank Merlin for that," Mr. Weasley said.

"He's gone a bit mad hasn't he?" said Malfoy. Rosa nodded.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Rosa. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Yes definitely mad," confirmed Malfoy.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Rosa found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two-dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Rosa in amazement.**

"Many people," stated Ron.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —"**

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Rosa leapt into the air trying to catch one —**

"That's the Seeker in you coming out," Remus said.

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Rosa around the waist and threw her into the hall.**

More growls erupted throughout the room. Theo stiffened and clenched the cushion in his fists. Blaise watched him with worry wondering how much more he would be able to take.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"Finally the boy gets discipline," said McGonagall.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

**"Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"Nuts," sang Ginny. Mrs. Weasley glared at her.

"Ginevra Weasley." Ginny winced at her full name.

"Sorry mum."

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"You poor thing," said Hermione sarcastically.

"Welcome to Rosa's life," said the twins.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Rosa shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Rosa stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"Wondering what?" asked Theo curiously.

"I don't remember," she said while smiling slightly at him. He smiled back and was quite happy that she had smiled. Blaise upon seeing the look on his friends face rolled his eyes.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day.** **They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Miss. P. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**_Miss. P. Potter_**

**_Room 17_**

**_Railview Hotel_**

**_Cokeworth_**

**Rosa made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked her hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"It's official," Malfoy said. "Even the kids noticed."

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

**Monday. This reminded Rosa of something. If it was Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Rosa's eleventh birthday.**

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" yelled the twins.

"Sorry to disappoint you but it's not my birthday," smiled Rosa.

"No but in the book it is," said George. Rosa raised a brow at him.

"You do realize that means you're talking to a book." They huffed at her.

**Of course, her birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given her a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. **

Sirius and Remus silently made an oath to spoil her every year for her birthday for now on.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day. Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"I think we can honestly say a smiling Dursley is not a good Dursley," Blaise said.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought. "Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there. Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"He better not allow you children on that death trap!" shouted Mrs. Weasley.

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"That's hardly rations," McGonagall said slightly miffed.

"You better had gotten something," snarled Sirius.

"I did Sirius," Rosa said calmly. This calmed down both Sirius and Theo even though Rosa didn't know about the latter one.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shrivelled up. "Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully. He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail.**

**Rosa privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer her up at all.**

"Oh they'll be able to," George said.

"Because of magic," Fred said while moved his hands in a rainbow like motion above his head. (Like what SpongeBob does when he says 'Imagination'.)

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door,**

Bill grew red and held the book tighter. Rosa just sighed and stared down at her shoe laces.

**and Rosa was left to find the softest bit of floor she could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

More growls filled the room. "If you guys are going to turn into animals every time we read something bad then let's just skip the Dursley parts," Rosa said trying to make them agree.

"No," Sirius said. "We've already been over this." She sighed and slouched down in the cushion.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Rosa couldn't sleep. She shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, her stomach rumbling with hunger.**

No one growled this time but there were a lot of daggers being sent toward the book. Bill looked uncomfortable as he read.

**Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Rosa she'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. She drew a cake in the dirt and watched her birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. **

**Five minutes to go. Rosa heard something creak outside. She hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although she might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"Oh I hope not," murmured Mrs. Weasley.

**One minute to go and she'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe she'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

The twins looked all for the idea.

**— three… two… one…**

**BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Rosa sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"That's the end," Bill said. "Who's next?" Molly raised her hand.

"I'll read the next dear." She took the book from her son and opened it to the right chapter. **"The Keeper of the Keys." **

Everyone that knew who that was grinned.

**So who can guess why Theodore acts the way he does. The first person to guess correctly gets browny points!**

**Also vote for either one of these:**

**Ginny/Blaise**

**OR**

**Luna/Blaise**


	5. The Keeper of the Keys

Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Chapter Five

The Keeper of the Keys

**"The Keeper of the Keys," **read Mrs. Weasley.

The trio, twins, and Charlie cheered, "Hagrid!"

**BOOM.**

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

**"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. **

"No need to say that," George began.

"We already knew he was stupid," finished Fred.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

Hermione and Snape frowned being the only ones besides Rosa that knew what a shot gun was. "That's dangerous to have around children," Snape stated.

"What exactly is a shot gun?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"It's a Muggle device that kills people with bullets," Hermione said with dislike. This caused the whole room to frown.

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!" There was a pause. Then —**

**SMASH!**

"Shout mom," urged Fred.

"Yeah mom you got to shout," said George. Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

"I will not be shouting." The twins sunk in their seat in disappointment.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

"That makes him sound scary," frowned Ron.

"He's really not when you get to know him," stated Charlie.

"Yeah unless you make him angry," Rosa said. Everyone who had seen Hagrid angry agreed with this statement.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"**

"Good ole' Hagrid," said Bill.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

"You tell him Hagrid," said Ron.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon. "An' here's Rosa!" said the giant.**

**Rosa looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."**

Rosa smiled fondly at the memory. "That was the first time someone had told me that," she stated. Remus smiled from his seat on the other side of Sirius.

"And you've been hearing it ever since."

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. "I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

"Thank you Hagrid," Hermione said. Everyone else seemed to agree with her. They weren't comfortable knowing that a gun was around children.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

**"Anyway — Rosaa," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Rosa opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Rosa written on it in green icing. **

"That was nice of Hagrid," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

**Rosa looked up at the giant. She meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to her mouth, and what she said instead was, "Who are you?"**

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at the fifth year. "Manners dear." Rosa smiled at her.

"I know Mrs. Weasley. I was just shocked."

**The giant chuckled. "True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Rosa's whole arm.**

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"Hagrid!" Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall scolded lightly.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Rosa felt the warmth wash over her as though she'd sunk into a hot bath.**

"That must have felt heavenly," Hermione said. Rosa nodded and it had. Especially after being cold.

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

**The giant chuckled darkly. "Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to Rosa, who was so hungry**

Growls filled the room.

**she had never tasted anything so wonderful, but she still couldn't take her eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, she said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

"There that's better," Mrs. Weasley said. Rosa sent her a fond smile as her kids rolled their eyes.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.**

**"Er — no," said Rosa.**

"That won't go over well," Charlie said.

** Hagrid looked shocked. "Sorry," Rosa said quickly.**

"You have no reason to be sorry dear," Mrs. Weasley stated.

"Those good for nothing Muggles do," growled Sirius. Rosa grabbed his hand and patted it. Sirius sent her a strained smile that didn't reach his eyes.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"**

"Oh Hagrid she wouldn't know," whispered Tonks.

**"All what?" asked Rosa. **

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered.**

**"Now wait jus' one second!" He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

"As we've said Hagrid can get scary when he's angry," Remus said.

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this girl — this girl! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"**

"Shouldn't have stated it like that Hagrid," winced Sirius. "She'll think your calling her stupid."

**Rosa thought this was going a bit far. She had been to school, after all, true her marks were bad, but that was only because she couldn't do better than Dudley.**

This statement didn't make anyone happier quite the contrary. Faces turned red and fists were clenched. Rosa sighed and hung her head. She had a feeling that by the end of these books someone was going to blow a gasket. This could not be good for their health.

"Is that why you hold yourself back in class Miss. Potter?" McGonagall asked. Rosa looked up surprised at the professor.

"You noticed that?"

"We all noticed," sneered Snape. Rosa just shrugged.

"Habits are hard to break and I did end up breaking it."

**"I know some things," she said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."**

"That's not what he was talking about," Mrs. Weasley said fondly.

"I know that now," Rosa mumbled.

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

**"What world?" Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble."**

"Is that even a word?" snickered Fred.

** Hagrid stared wildly at Rosa. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"What? My — my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

**"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Rosa with a bewildered stare.**

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally. Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the girl anything!"**

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. "You never told her? Never told her what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer her? I was there!**

Sirius still had his fists clenched at his side.

**I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from her all these years?"**

**"Kept what from me?" said Rosa eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Rosa — yer a witch."**

**"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" Rosa said highly offended.**

Hermione burst out laughing while Snape had a small smile playing on his lips. "Nice reaction," Hermione gasped out. Everyone else seemed confused by this reaction.

"Why would you be offended?" Ginny asked.

"Muggles sometimes use it instead of saying this offensive word," Hermione answered after having calmed down. "Also they have bad stereotypes about witches." Everyone nodded and shook their heads at Rosa. Rosa however huffed and crossed her arms.

"Surely your reaction was the same way," she said to Hermione. Hermione shook her head with a smile.

"It was more along the lines of are you serious."

"No I-"Sirius started but both Remus and Rosa covered his mouth with their hands. Sirius glared at them and sulked.

**"No" chuckled Hagrid. "Yeh magical like a girl wizard." Rosa looked at him shocked. There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"I'm a witch?" gasped Rosa. "Like with magic and wands?"**

Everyone chuckled fondly at her. Rosa blushed slightly. Sirius wrapped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze.

**"O' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"Yes!" shouted the twins. "You finally get to read it."

**Rosa stretched out her hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Miss. R. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. She pulled out the letter and read:**

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_**

**_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_**

**_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_**

**_Dear Miss. Potter,_**

**_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._**

**_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._**

**_Yours sincerely,_**

**_Minerva McGonagall,_**

**_Deputy Headmistress_**

**"But… magic doesn't exist?" she said.**

**"Course it does who told yer that?" said Hagrid, Rosa looked at Uncle Vernon who was looking very nervous. **

"They lied!" growled Remus.

**"So not only did you not tell her but yer lied an'all?" Hagrid growled. **

**Uncle Vernon shrank further. Questions exploded inside Rosa's head like fireworks and s couldn't decide which to ask first.**

"That's normal dear," Mrs. Weasley stated. Ron snickered.

"I love your imagination Rosa," he said. Rosa did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out at him.

** After a few minutes she stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

This caused another round of laughter. "That's the first thing you ask?" gasped Neville. Rosa huffed and scowled at him.

"It was the first question that slipped from my mouth," she said. "Excuse me for being surprised."

**Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl — a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Rosa could read upside down:**

"You can actually that upside down?" asked Ron amazed. "I can barely read it as it is."

**_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_**

**_Given Bella her letter._**

**_Taking her to buy her things tomorrow._**

**_Weather's horrible. Hope you're well._**

**_Hagrid_**

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

"It is," said Blaise playfully. Rosa shook her head at the dark haired wizard.

"I know that now."

**Rosa realised her mouth was open and closed it quickly. "Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"She's not going," he said. Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop her," he said.**

"You tell him Hagrid!" Sirius said egging him on.

"You're talking to a book," Rosa said with a smile.

**"A what?" said Rosa, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

**"We swore when we took her in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of her! Witch indeed!"**

Dumbledore flinched at this which nobody noticed. He knew what happened when you tried to stamp out magic.

**"You knew?" said Bella. "You knew I'm a — a witch?"**

"Of course he did," Sirius said bitterly.

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was?**

The ones that knew Lily frowned at this.

**Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats.**

"Lily actually did that?" Sirius said amazed.

"Muggleborns are allowed to do magic on the first day back," McGonagall said. "To show their family what their learning at school."

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak!**

"Lily was not a freak!" yelled Sirius, Remus, and much to Rosa's confusion Snape. She didn't know how he tied into this.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

"As they should," growled Mad eye.

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"Probably had," Remus said bitterly.

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

Everyone paled. "That's how you were told?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Yes," answered Rosa.

"No child should be told in that way," McGonagall said glumly.

**Rosa had gone very white. As soon as she found his voice she said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

"That's disgusting," Mad eye spat out like it was something foul in his mouth.

"Hagrid's not going to like that," Remus muttered.

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Rosa Potter not knowin' her own story when every kid in our world knows her name!"**

**"But why? What happened?" Rosa asked urgently. The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"Poor Hagrid," Tonks said. "No one wants to tell a child that." The women nodded in agreement while the males looked sad and anxious for the half giant.

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Rosa, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

Rosa's friends paled at the idea that one of them would have had to tell her. They understood his discomfort.

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"**

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"**

**"Who?"**

**"Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

**"Why not?" **

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Rosa, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad.**

"That's putting it mildly," Sirius said.

** As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse.**

"That's better."

** His name was…" Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

**"Could you write it down?" Rosa suggested.**

**"Nah — can't spell it. All right —Voldemort. "**

"You actually got him to say it," Remus said in amazement.

"You're a genius Rosie," Sirius said. Rosa rolled her eyes at the two men but laid her head on Sirius's shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her. Theodore hid the jealousy that rose inside his gut. He wished that was him.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Rosa. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day!**

Rosa perked up and smiled. She usually did whenever her parents were mentioned. She loved finding out new facts about them. It made her feel closer to them. That's why she didn't care whenever people kept mentioned that she looked like her father but with her mother's eyes.

**Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore**

For some reason Rosa didn't believe this was the true reason. There was more to it she just knew it. Felt it in her gut and usually her gut feelings were right.

**ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —"**

There was not a person in the room that didn't look sad. Malfoy even sent a sad glance toward Rosa. He didn't know what it felt like to have no family that didn't care about him. At least he had his mother he wasn't always sure about his father.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. "Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — I knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa…**

Snape could only agree with this statement to a point. Lily was but in his opinion James wasn't.

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Rosa.**

"Wish I wasn't," mumbled Rosa bitterly.

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons,**

People flinched at this.

** the Bones,**

Another round of flinching. Mrs. Weasley froze before reading the next name. Her voice was filled with emotions.

**the Prewetts**

She let out a sob at this and Mr. Weasley wrapped her in his arms. She took a few moments to get herself together before reading again. No one minded and had let her take as long as she needed.

**— an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on in Rosa's mind.**

Everyone sent her worried glances. Sirius tightened his hold on her and kissed her forehead.

** As Hagrid's story came to a close, she saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than she had ever remembered it before — and she remembered something else, for the first time in her life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

Everyone's faces when a deathly white. "You remember that?" Remus asked.

"Yes."

"But how-" Ginny started but Dumbledore interrupted her.

"The mind is a magnificent thing," was all he said.

**Hagrid was watching her sadly. "Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…."**

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Rosa jumped; she had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now, you listen here, girl," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured**

Everyone growled and grew angry at the memory of her punishments. Rosa looked worriedly at everybody. She wished they would just forget about it since it was in the past. But the stupid book kept bringing it up and wasn't helping.

**— and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion**

Sirus clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "She's better off without you," snapped Remus.

"We can arrange that," growled Sirius who was looking highly dangerous. Rosa scooted slightly away from him toward Theodore.

**— asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"**

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…"**

"You tell him Hagrid!" yelled Charlie.

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. "That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Rosa, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. "But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"That's the million dollar question," Sirius said. He had calmed down slightly and was not longer clenching his hands.

**Good question, Rosa. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go?**

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion.**

The trio shared a look. "Perhaps we should listen to what Hagrid says more often?" Hermione suggested. Ron and Rosa nodded. Percy grew red in the face. He may feel sorry for the girl but that didn't mean she could lie about something like this.

"He is not back," snapped Percy. Mrs. Weasley looked sadly at her son.

"Let's see if you keep singing that tune after these books," snapped Rosa who was getting tired of Percy fighting them on this.

**Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.**

Percy once again opened his mouth but Rosa quickly shut him up with a glare. Theo couldn't help but stare at her in adoration. Blaise hit him effetely knocking him out of it. He sent him a grateful smile.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

Percy looked smug at this but the glares he received wiped the look off his face.

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Rosa. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Rosa with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Rosa, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. **

The twins looked at her in amusement. "A mistake," they said while shaking their heads.

**A witch? Her? How could she possibly be? She'd spent her life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if she was really a witch, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock her in her cupboard?**

At the mention of the cupboard everyone's faces grew dark. Rosa sighed. One of these days the book was going to be damaged by a hex that had been sent its way.

**If she'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick her around like a football? **

Sirius shook his head. "That's not how it works love.

**"Hagrid," she said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a witch." To her surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

**"Not a witch, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

"Perhaps," grinned Rosa.

** Rosa looked into the fire. Now she came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made her aunt and uncle furious with her had happened when she, Rosa, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, she had somehow found herself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, she'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit her, hadn't she got her revenge, without even realizing she was doing it? Hadn't she set a boa constrictor on him?**

Everyone chuckled. "In a sense," chuckled Mr. Weasley.

**Rosa looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at her.**

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Rosa Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Great," Rosa said sarcastically.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. "Haven't I told you she's not going?" he hissed. "She's going to Stonewall High and she'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and she needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"**

**"If she wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop her," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's daughter goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Her name's been down ever since she was born.**

"As has every kid," McGonagall said to no one imperticular.

**She's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and she won't know herself. She'll be with youngsters of her own sort, fer a change, an' she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—"**

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HER MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"That's not going to go well," winced Remus. Everyone knew how loyal Hagrid was to Dumbledore.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!"**

Dumbledore smiled at the loyalty that Hagrid showed toward him. He had always valued Hagrid's friendship.

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Rosa saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

Everyone burst out laughing and Rosa clutched her stomach because she was laughing so hard. Tears streamed down her face.

"Such good memories," she gasped out.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

There was another round of laughter that filled the room. "Brilliant," stated the twins.

**He cast a sideways look at Bella under his bushy eyebrows. "Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

At this there were fond smiles.

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Rosa.**

"That's personal," chastised Mrs. Weasley.

**"Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

**"Why were you expelled?"**

Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Rosa.**

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."**

Mrs. Weasley handed it to Mr. Weasley to read.

**"Diagon Alley,"** said Mr. Weasley.

**The Poll for who Ginny is going to be paired with is still open. **

**Luna/Blaise-1**

**Ginny/Blaise-1**

**Don't forget to review!**


	6. Diagon Alley

Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Chapter Six

Diagon Alley

**I just want to thank superwomanstar7 for helping me with this story and for the great ideas.**

**"Diagon Alley,"** read Mr. Weasley.

"Yay magic!" yelled the twins. Rosa shook her head fondly at that.

"The first time at Diagon Alley is always the best," Hermione said. Rosa nodded in agreement.

"It makes everything real," she said. Hermione agreed with her. The others in the room didn't see what was so great with the place. To them it was just somewhere they've been hundreds of times.

**Rosa woke early the next morning. Although she could tell it was daylight, she kept her eyes shut tight. _It was a dream, _she told herself firmly._ I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard._**

There were growls from the cupboard. "Really guys if you're going to do that whenever its brought up I will find some way to have all the bad parts disappear from that book," she said sternly. They sighed but promised to try to behave.

She smiled and nodded.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise. And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Rosa thought, her heart sinking.**

Mrs. Weasley shook her head in sadness for her 'daughter'.

**But she still didn't open her eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

Before it had changed for the worst and Voldemort messed things up.

**Tap. Tap. Tap. "All right," Rosa mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**She sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off her. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. Rosa scrambled to her feet, so happy she felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside her.**

"As I said before your imagination is weird," Charlie said.

"A balloon really?" Ginny said.

** She went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that."**

"Oh but it wants its payment," the twins teased knowing that it would irritate her. Rosa rolled her eyes and glared at them. She knew they were taking the mickey out of her.

**Rosa tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at her and carried on savaging the coat. "Hagrid!" said Rosa loudly. "There's an owl —"**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Rosa pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. "Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

"She's not going to know what that means," Sirius sighed.

**"Knuts?"**

**"The little bronze ones." Rosa counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Rosa could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window. Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

"What was the point if he was just going to get up anyway?" Ron asked.

"It was probably meant for her to get use to Wizarding currency," Theo said. Rosa sent him a bright smile.

"That's exactly what he was doing," she said. Theo got lost in her smile. He absolutely adored it. He shook his head mentally to clear his thoughts. He sighed which went unnoticed. 'She'd never like a Slytherin,' he thought to himself.

If he was being honest with himself he had loved her since last year but had liked her since third. But he knew that she would never go for someone like him because he was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor.

**"Best be off, Rosa, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Rosa was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. She had just thought of something that made her feel as though the happy balloon inside her had got a puncture. **

"Not the balloon!" cried Fred.

"Anything but the balloon!" George said.

"Shut up," Rosa said while throwing a pillow at the two. Fred dodged it leaving George open for it to hit. Which it did right in the face.

**"Um — Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

"Your parents would have left you everything," Sirius said.

"I hadn't known that," Rosa said.

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed —"**

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, girl!**

Rosa flinched. She hated whenever someone called her that. It reminded her too much of the Dursleys. Theo noticed this and gazed at her curiously.

**Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

"Speaking of food," Ron said. "Mum I'm hungry." Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes.

"Ron you're always hungry but after one more chapter I'll make lunch if that's alright with everybody."

"That would be splendid Molly," Dumbledore said.

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." Rosa dropped the bit of sausage she was holding. **

Rosa blushed as the group either laughed or smirked at her. "I was surprised," she grumbled. "Goblins are supposed to be a myth."

"Well so are wizards," teased Ron. She rolled her eyes at him and refused to meet anyone's eyes.

**"Goblins?"**

**"Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Rosa. **

There was a flash of blinding white light and another note appeared in her hand.

_Yeah don't mess with Goblins Rosa_

_-Ron_

Rosa looked confused down at the note. When is she going to mess with goblins? She read it out loud and everyone gazed at her with curiosity.

**Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you — gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see."**

Dumbledore chuckled fondly. It was true he did trust the man.

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then." Rosa followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Rosa asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

Everyone tried to imagine Hagrid flying but couldn't. It would be a funny sight to see. Fred shook his head.

"I just can't imagine it," he said.

**"Flew?"**

**"Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Rosa still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Rosa another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

"Oh Hagrid," McGonagall said fondly.

**"Of course not," said Rosa, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Rosa asked.**

**"Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults.**

"There better not be," growled Charlie at his older brother. Bill did the smart thing and didn't say anything. Charlie however still looked mad at the thought that there could possibly be dragons down there.

**And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

**Rosa sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Rosa had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, she'd never had so many questions in her life.**

"Hagrid wouldn't have minded," Remus said.

"I know that now," Rosa said. "Like I've said before it's hard to drop old habits." Sirius's eyes grew dark and vowed to himself that no matter what she wouldn't be going back to the Dursleys.

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual,"**

Rosa laughed. "Seems like that hasn't changed." Percy glared at her his ears going red.

"The Ministry is not messing things up," he said. "You're the one telling lies." Theo glared at him not liking how he was talking to Rosa.

"She's telling the truth," he said.

"Like I'm going to believe the words of a known Death Eaters son," Percy hissed. Theodore's eyes darkened at the mention of his father. Rosa shot Percy a glare.

"That's going to far Percy," Rosa growled. He looked taken back by the way she talked to him and fell silent. Rosa sent Theodore an apologetic smile. He tried to smile back but it came out strained.

He hated his father and wanted nothing to do with the man.

**Hagrid muttered, turning the page. "There's a Ministry of Magic?" Rosa asked, before she could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

Percy huffed but was smart and kept his mouth shut. 'Fudge is a wonderful minister," he thought. 'He wouldn't be asking for advice.'

"Is that true Professor?" asked Rosa.

"Yes but he stopped earlier this year." Everyone knew why. 'Liar,' thought Percy.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

"Absolutely nothing but spreading lies," Rosa said bitterly. Percy had grown so red in the face that he looked like a tomato. She was afraid he was about to burst and she guessed he would be the first to blow a casket.

"They- do- not- lie," Percy hissed. His breath was becoming labored he was so mad. Everyone decided to read and let him calm down on his own.

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Rosa, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

"Yes we are," agreed Tonks. "Even though they do more than just that."

"Like tell lies," coughed out Fred with a smirk playing on his lips.

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbour wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.** **Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Rosa couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Rosa? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"He should be more discreet," McGonagall said while she pursed her lips. Rosa laughed.

"That's kind of hard," she said. "It's Hagrid."

**"Hagrid," said Rosa, panting a bit as she ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

Charlie let out another growl.

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

**"You'd like one?"**

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go."**

"He wants one?" Tonks said while shaking her head. The trio exchanged amused glances while Malfoy scowled. Now they could laugh about it. McGonagall looked between the four students remembering what had happened that year.

She hopped there really hadn't been a dragon.

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the notes to Rosa so she could buy their tickets.**

"It's easier than Wizarding money," Hermione said. "They've got the amount on them." Rosa nodded in agreement. Secretly Snape also agreed. Having found Muggle money easier in the past.

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

"I've always wondered what that was supposed to be," Rosa mused.

**Still got yer letter, Rosa?" he asked as he counted stitches. Rosa took the parchment envelope out of her pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." Rosa unfolded a second piece of paper she hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_**

**_UNIFORM_**

**_First-year students will require:_**

**_1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_**

**_2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_**

**_3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_**

**_4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_**

**_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_**

**_COURSE BOOKS_**

**_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_**

**_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk_**

**_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_**

**_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_**

**_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_**

**_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_**

**_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_**

**_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_**

**_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_**

**_OTHER EQUIPMENT_**

**_1 wand_**

**_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_**

**_1 set of glass or crystal phials_**

**_1 telescope set_**

**_1 brass scales_**

**_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_**

**_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_**

"I hated that rule," Sirius said. He smiled down at Rosa. "So did your father." Rosa smiled at the thought of knowing something else about her dad.

Rosa sent a smile towards McGonagall which was returned. No one noticed the exchange.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Rosa wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid. Rosa had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

Mr. Weasley quickly wrote down the word escalator. Rosa smiled at the man fondly.

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Rosa had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people.**

"Aw our wittle Rosiekins is excited," the twins cooed. Rosa sent them a glare.

"I was eleven!"

**Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"How could it when they don't approve of imagination?" Malfoy said with a small smirk on his lips.

**If Rosa hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, she might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told her so far was unbelievable, Rosa couldn't help trusting him.**

"That's just Hagrid," Charlie said with a smile.

"That's exactly why I sent him," Dumbledore said.

**This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Rosa wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Rosa had the most peculiar feeling that only she and Hagrid could see it.**

"It has Muggle repelling charms on it," McGonagall said.

"If that's true then how can parents of Muggleborns see it?" Rosa asked. She turned to Hermione for this.

"I had to hold onto my parents hands but once I touched them they were able to see it."

"It's part of the charm," Dumbledore said.

**Before she could mention this, Hagrid had steered her inside. For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.**

Everyone cracked up at the description of the man. "I love your imagination," Fred chuckled.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Rosa's shoulder and making Rosa's knees buckle.**

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Rosa, "is this — can this be —?" The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

"That's an impressive feat," Sirius said with a smirk. Rosa huffed.

"Shut it," she snapped.

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Rosa Potter… what an honour." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Rosa and seized her hand, tears in his eyes.**

**"Welcome back, Miss. Potter, welcome back."**

"It shocked me when he did that," Rosa said. "I was used to being ignored not the center of attention."

"And since then you haven't liked it," Hermione snickered.

**Rosa didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at her. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming. Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Rosa found herself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

Rosa made a face at this. She hated being famous. She hated what she was famous for.

**"Doris Crockford, Miss. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Miss. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Miss. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

**"I've seen you before!" said Rosa, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop!"**

**"She remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? She remembers me!"**

Rosa sent a fond smile toward the book while everyone else laughed at the actions of the people.

**Rosa shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more. A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

Rosa's eyes hardened at the mention of this person. The teachers Hermione, and Ron's faces darkened. The people who didn't know what was going on glanced at them curiously.

**Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Rosa, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Rosa's hand,**

Rosa wiped her hands on her jeans and unconsciously touched her throat. The memory of that night flashed through her mind's eye. She shuddered while Sirius gave her a worried look. He didn't like the reactions that he was seeing.

**"c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."**

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it.**

**"N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. **

"Of course she needs it," McGonagall said while glaring at the book.

**"You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Rosa to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Rosa." Doris Crockford shook Rosa's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds. Hagrid grinned at Rosa.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

Rosa clenched her hands. She couldn't believe it was all fake.

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires**

"Yeah a vampire that lives off your soul," Rosa muttered under her breath. The only ones to hear this was Theo and Remus both of whom looked worried by this.

**in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?"**

**Vampires? Hags?**

"Yes that's a lot to take in in one day," McGonagall said with a smile.

** Rosa's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up… two across…" he muttered. "Right, stand back, Rosa." He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

**He grinned at Rosa's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Rosa looked quickly over her shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Rosa wished she had about eight more eyes.**

Ron shuddered at the thought while Hermione smiled. "I thought the same thing." Once again the other witch and wizards in the room didn't get what was so great about the place.

** She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…"**

Mrs. Weasley blushed. That had been her.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Rosa's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Rosa heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —"**

Rosa's mind drifted off to her first broom. She missed it and knew it would always hold a special place in her heart.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Rosa had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid. They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was —**

**"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him.**

"They wasn't how I pictured they look," said Rosa. Back then when she thought of Goblins she pictured the creepy little creatures that had wrinkled skin, beady eyes, and fingers long enough to cut someone.

** The goblin was about a head shorter than Rosa. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Rosa noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

**_Enter, stranger, but take heed _**

**_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_**

**_For those who take, but do not earn,_**

**_Must pay most dearly in their turn._**

**_So if you seek beneath our floors_**

**_A treasure that was never yours,_**

**_Thief, you have been warned, beware_**

**_Of finding more than treasure there._**

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

'He sure does mention that a lot,' thought Rosa. 'Merlin please not be what I'm thinking.' Hermione smiled.

"I've always liked that poem," she said.

"Me too," Rosa said.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Rosa made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Miss. Rosalind Potter's safe."**

**"You have her key, sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose.**

"They don't like messes," Bill said.

"No they weren't very happy," Rosa said.

**Rosa watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals. "Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

"That's going to make you curious," Remus said.

"She never was good at keeping that in check," Ron teased. Rosa rolled her eyes at them.

"What is this pick on Rosa day?" huffed Rosa.

"Nope that's next week," George said.

"We're just practicing," finished Fred.

**The goblin read the letter carefully. "Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Rosa followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Rosa asked.**

Ron smirked. "See."

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. **

"That didn't help with my curiosity," Rosa admitted.

**Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that." **

**Griphook held the door open for them. Rosa, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Rosa tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.**

"That's why they did it," said Bill. "Though that's pretty good."

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering. Rosa's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but she kept them wide open. Once, she thought she saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late**

Charlie glared at his brother. It was obvious he still didn't like the fact that there possibly were dragons at Gringotts.

**— they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. "I never know," Rosa called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

Hermione opened her mouth most likely to tell them but Rosa and Ron stopped her. Ron clamped his hand over her mouth and she glared at him.

"I know now Hermione," Rosa said.

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it,"** **said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Rosa gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

Rosa looked uncomfortable at the mention of her vault. She had always felt guilty mentioning it. "Please let me help out," she said to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "You've done so much for me already."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shook their heads determinedly. "That's your gold dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

"We can't take any of it," Mr. Weasley said. Rosa frowned.

"But you've done so much I want to pay you back." No matter what she said they refused to take any. Rosa sat back and gave up for the time being. She'd find a way.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid. All Rosa's — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from her faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Rosa cost them to keep?**

This caused growls. "It didn't seem to me that you cost them all that much," growled Neville.

"In fact their precious son costs a fortune to raise," Bill said.

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to her, buried deep under London. Hagrid helped Rosa pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough.**

"Yeah for people who was raised using it," muttered Hermione. Rosa agreed with her.

** Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

"One speed only," Bill said.

"Poor Hagrid," muttered Charlie.

**"One speed only," said Griphook. They were going even deeper now and gathering speed.**

"How can you gather speed if it's one speed only?" asked Ron.

** The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Rosa leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom,**

Sirius tensed. "Don't do that," he muttered.

**but Hagrid groaned and pulled her back by the scruff of her neck.**

"Thank you Hagrid," Remus and Sirius said together. Theo kept his mouth shut but was silently thinking the man.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. "Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Rosa asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"They say that to scare you," Bill said.

"Is it true though?" Hermione asked.

"Most likely. Goblins are nasty creatures."

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Rosa was sure, and she leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor.**

"The Philosophers stone," Mr. Weasley said. The trio huffed.

"It took us forever to figure that out," Hermione said.

"And you guys know it right away," Ron said. Remus smirked.

"We did have the title to help us," he said in amusement.

"If only we had a book's title to help us," muttered Rosa. Sirius let out a bark like laugh and patted her back.

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Rosa longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

"You actually kept quiet?" Ron asked in shock. Rosa glared at him.

"Yes Ron I did." He smirked at her.

** "Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Rosa didn't know where to run first now that she had a bag full of money. She didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that she was holding more money than she'd had in her whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Rosa, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Rosa entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

"He shouldn't have left you," groaned Mrs. Weasley.

"I was fine Mrs. Weasley."

"Still," McGonagall said. Draco paled when he realized what was going to happen next. Rosa sent him a reassuring smile but he didn't see it.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. "Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Rosa started to speak. "Got the lot here — a young man being fitted up just now, in fact." In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face**

Malfoy shot a glare toward Rosa. She laughed and smiled innocently back at him. He shook his head but pales once again. Rosa hoped they weren't to hard on him. She believed it was what his father wanted him to act like not how Draco wanted to act.

**was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Rosa on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Rosa.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy.**

"What's the point?" asked Neville. "The wand picks the wizard." Draco shrugged.

"It was better than having her hover."

**He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

**Rosa was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

"I take that as an insult," Draco said looking offended. "Really Potter comparing me to that moron. I'm nothing like him." Rosa shrugged.

"You kinda were."

**Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Rosa.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Rosa said again wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

"James would have died if he heard you say that," Sirius said with a smile on his face.

**I do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Rosa, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

"Sorry," muttered Draco. She smiled at him.

"It's alright."

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

"Oi!" yelled Tonks. "What's wrong with Hufflepuffs?"

"Nothing," muttered Draco. "It's just how my father wanted me to act." He said this last part in a whisper though so no one but Remus heard him. Remus gazed curiously at the blond haired boy.

**"Mmm," said Rosa, wishing she could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Rosa and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "That was nice of Hagrid."

**"That's Hagrid," said Rosa, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Rosa. She was liking the boy less and less every second.**

Malfoy sent her a mocking look of hurt. She smiled. "You were being a prat."

**Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

**"I think he's brilliant," said Rosa coldly.**

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Rosa shortly. She didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all.**

"I really was sorry," Draco said. "I just couldn't show it." Rosa nodded her head in understanding.

**"But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you?**

"I really was a prat," Draco said frowning.

"It wasn't your fault," Rosa said. "You were made to act like that." Everyone nodded toward the blond boy everyone except Ron who wouldn't forgive him that easy. All the others were all for giving him a second chance.

"I'm sorry for anything I say in advance," Draco said. "There's a lot of it." Mrs. Weasley gave him a small smile.

"It'll be alright dear."

**They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

Malfoy winced at his past self.

**But before Rosa could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Rosa, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy. Rosa was rather quiet as she ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought her (chocolate mint).**

"Hmm yum," Ron said. His stomach growled.

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Rosa lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Rosa cheered up a bit when she found a bottle of emerald green ink. When they had left the shop, she said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Rosa, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Rosa. She told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.**

**"— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in —"**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were — he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like soccer in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"It is not," said the Quidditch fanatics.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but —"**

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Rosa gloomily.**

"There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuffs," Tonks snapped. Rosa gave a small smile.

"I know that now," she said.

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

"Oh I wouldn't say that," Dumbledore said looking over at Snape. "Not all Slytherins are bad."

"I agree with you professor," said Rosa. Dumbledore beamed at her and hope rose up in Theo.

Sirius eyes darkened and his face hardened. "Not all bad wizards come from Slytherin." Rosa knew exactly who he was talking about and hatred rose up in her.

**You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry —You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

"Poor Hagrid," Rosa muttered while everyone that knew silently thought it themselves.

**They bought Rosa's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Rosa away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

The twins looked over at her in agreement while Sirius smiled down at her.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

**Hagrid wouldn't let Rosa buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"),**

"Gold could react with some of the potions," Remus said. Rosa looked sheepish.

"I wasn't use to having so much money."

**but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Rosa, Rosa herself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Rosa's list again. "Just yer wand left — A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

"That was nice of him," Sirius said. Rosa nodded remembering the animal she had gotten.

**"You don't have to —"**

**""I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. We'll go to Magical Menagerie. You can pick out whatever you want." Rosa finally relented and allowed Hagrid to buy her an animal. As soon as they stepped into the shop Rosa's senses were bombarded with rattling of cages, hoots of owls, cats meowing, and even toads croaking. **

**The walls were lined with cages and the place was very cramped. Rosa wondered off to search the place for her new pet. She walked by the toads and stopped to stare at a purple one before moving on to the cats. One by one she glanced and then left. None of them caught her eye or popped out as if saying 'Here I am. I'm the one. Pick me'. **

**It soon became clear that she didn't want any of these animals. That was until she got closer to the back. Something was pulling her toward the lizards and snakes. **

"What was it?" asked Neville. Rosa smiled along with the others who knew.

**She glanced at the dusty surroundings searching for the object that called out to her. And then she saw it. A beautiful creature, a snake. It wasn't really that big still just a baby. Its black markings made its skin look silver with a hint of light blue. Rosa reached out hesitantly to touch it but as soon as her hand came close it wrapped itself around her hand and up to her upper arm where it settled. **

**Rosa could have sworn that she heard it say "_Mine." _She quickly understood that he was what was drawing her. **

**"Hello little one," she whispered to it. Rosa ran her finger down its back and watched it curl tighter around her. She then quickly went to find Hagrid so that they could buy it. **

**Hagrid spotted her first and beamed at her. "So did yeh find anything?" Rosa nodded and held out her arm. Hagrid seemed taken aback by this. **

**"I feel drawn toward him like he belongs to me," she said looking highly confused. **

"It's your familiar," Luna said in a dreamy voice. Everyone jumped having forgotten she was there because she was so quiet.

**"Sounds like yeh found you're familiar." **

**"My what?" **

**"You're familiar," said the man behind the counter. He had brown hair that was graying it the temples. He wore black robes and had warm brown eyes. "They are said to be spirits in animal form. They bond with only one person their entire life. It would seem that this is yours." **

"So your familiar is a snake," Bill said. He hadn't known this before. Rosa only nodded.

**Ten minutes later they left the store and her familiar was still wrapped securely around her arm. The only thing she feared was how the Dursleys would react to it. She might have to keep him hidden. **

**Rosa couldn't stop thanking Hagrid it was the first and best present she had ever received. She stumbled over her words almost as bad as Professor Quirrell.**

Rosa scowled at being compared to him.

** "Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand." A magic wand… this was what Rosa had been really looking forward to.**

"I believe this is what everyone looks forward to," Mr. Weasley said.

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Rosa felt strangely as though she had entered a very strict library; she swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to her and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of her neck prickled.**

"Constant Vigilance!" roared Mad eye. Everyone jumped in their seats haven forgotten he too was also here. He had spent his time watching everybody's reactions and listening to the book.

**The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"You are very powerful if you can sense that," Mad eye said while giving her an appraising glance.

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Rosa awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Rosalind Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

Rosa smiled at the memory of being told that. She loved hearing about her parents.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Rosa. Rosa wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

"They do have that effect on people," chuckled Dumbledore. The kids shivered having remembered their own experiences.

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."**

"Of course," said Dumbledore.

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Rosa were almost nose to nose. Rosa could see herself reflected in those misty eyes.**

"If that's not creepy I don't know what is," Neville said while repressing a shiver.

**"And that's where…"**

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Rosa's forehead with a long, white finger.**

"He's the only one who has done that," Rosa said. The twins looked about ready to ask if they could but Mrs. Weasley shot them a look that clearly said 'don't even think about it'. They sunk into their seats in disappointment.

Rosa laughed at their display of childishness.

**I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"**

"If only he had known," McGonagall said sadly.

**He shook his head and then, to Rosa's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

Everyone sympathized with her.

** "Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Rosa noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

"Oh Hagrid," McGonagall said fondly.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Miss. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Rosa.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Rosa from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head.**

"Why does he do that?" Hermione asked.

"It's to measure your magic," Dumbledore said. "And I believe it gives him time to chat beforehand." Dumbledore smiled at this.

** As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

"That is true," said Neville. "But you can still use someone else's wand." He was clearly thinking back to first year when Hermione had used Rosa's wand.

"You are correct Mr. Longbottom," Dumbledore said.

**Rosa suddenly realised that the tape measure, which was measuring between her nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Miss. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."**

"That's not the one," Hermione said with a smile.

**Rosa took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —"**

"Still not it," grinned Ron.

**Rosa tried — but she had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

"Nope," Fred said. Rosa glanced at her friends in amusement.

**Rosa tried. And tried. She had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher **

"How many wands did you go through?" asked Charlie with a grin.

"Don't remember," Rosa said.

**on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"Why is that?" Neville asked.

"I do believe he likes the challenge," Dumbledore said.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

"Jackpot!" yelled George. Rosa began to wonder how they would react when they found out about her wand.

She had never told them that her wands brother was Voldemort's'.

**Rosa took the wand. She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers. She raised the wand above her head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks**

The Gryffindor's cheered. "Gryffindor colors!" the twins yelled. The Slytherins rolled their eyes.

**shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…" He put Rosa's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious… curious…"**

"What's curious?" Sirius asked curiously.

**"Sorry," said Rosa, "but what's curious?" Mr. Ollivander fixed Rosa with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss. Potter.**

"How does he do that?" Ron asked. "He must have sold millions."

"Most wand makers have good memories," McGonagall said.

** Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother —**

Mr. Weasley paused before reading the next sentence. When he did his voice came out as soft as a whisper but the words wrapped around the room.

**why, its brother gave you that scar."**

The room had become deathly quiet. "Only Hagrid, Dumbledore (Ollivander had sent him a letter telling him this), and herself had known.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Hermione asked with a hint of awe in her voice.

"It's not something you bring up in conversation," Rosa said.

"Just like the Dursleys," Hermione said as she glared at her friend. Rosa chose not to answer and motioned for Mr. Weasley to go on.

**Rosa swallowed. "Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Miss. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."**

"Is he admiring him?" asked Neville in disgust.

"No he's admiring the magic," Rosa said. Dumbledore nodded.

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

**Rosa shivered. She wasn't sure she liked Mr. Ollivander too much. She paid seven gold Galleons for her wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Rosa and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Rosa didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; she didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snake asleep wrapped around Rosa's arm. **

The group chuckled at the sight imagining it themselves. "That would be a strange sight," Neville chuckled.

"Indeed," Snape said.

**Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Rosa only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped her on the shoulder. "Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Rosa a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Rosa kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"I felt the same," Hermione said. "It was weird after finding out I was a witch I felt slightly disconnected from the Muggle world."

**You all right, Rosa? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid. Rosa wasn't sure she could explain. She'd just had the best birthday of her life — and yet — she chewed her hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," she said at last.**

"You are," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

"Yeah no one else could go up against Voldemort five different times and live to tell the tale," Hermione said. Rosa smiled at her friends even though she still didn't feel all that special.

**"All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my parents died."**

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

"Hagrid's got a big heart," McGonagall said. "Always in the right place."

**"Don' you worry, Rosa. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact."**

Rosa beamed at her friends. "I've got some help with that." They smiled back at her.

**Hagrid helped Rosa on to the train that would take her back to the Dursleys, then handed her an envelope. "Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. See yeh soon, Rosa."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Rosa wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; she rose in her seat and pressed her nose against the window, but she blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"Who wants to read next?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"First let's get some lunch," Mrs. Weasley said sternly. Rosa rose from her seat only to be stopped by Sirius and Remus. She gulped knowing that they were finally going to have their talk about the Dursleys.

Theo and Blaise stood up to head to the kitchen. Blaise caught Theo staring at Rosa who was being pulled into one of the rooms. "When are you going to tell her?" Blaise asked.

Theo snapped his eyes to his friend. "Tell who what?" Blaise's eyes narrowed at him.

"You know who I'm talking about. When are you going to tell Rosa you love her?" Theo shifted his weight to his other foot. He avoided meeting Blaise's piercing eyes.

His voice came out sounding uncomfortable and uncertain. "I don't know if I should. What if all she sees me as is just another Slytherin?" Blaise thought over the words before speaking.

"You won't know until you try," Blaise said and then strode off to the kitchens leaving behind a conflicted Theo.

**So what do you guys think so far? Also a few announcement. These will be the new pairings. **

**Luna/Blaise**

**And**

**Marcus/Ginny **

**Marcus will come in the second book. To those who had guessed Theo loved Rosa browney points to you. **


	7. The Journey From Platform Nine and Three

Chapter Seven

The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Rosa was drug into a room by Sirius and Remus both of whom had on a mask of seriousness. "Really guys it's not a big deal," Rosa said as she sat down on the twin bed.

"Not a big deal?" stated Sirius.

"They abused you, starved you, and were just plain horrible to you," Remus growled.

"This has already happened there's nothing you can do," Rosa tried to reason. "Besides I'll be living with you after this anyway Sirius." At these last words they deflated.

"I still don't like this but your right there's nothing we can do at the moment," Remus said. Sirius didn't look happy at all how this was going but let it drop.

"Now let's go get some lunch," Rosa said. "I'm starving." She quickly left the room before one of them could stop her. They followed behind her and she made a beeline for the seat between Luna and Theo.

They sent her a glance but sat down father down the table. Mrs. Weasley put a plate of food in front of her. After lunch everyone went back to the sitting room to begin reading again. They all went back to their original seats.

"I'll read," Mad eye said. Arthur picked up the book and handed it over.

**The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," **Mad eye began.

Rosa smiled at the memory. That was the day she finally found a safe haven. A home. Someplace away from the Dursleys.

**Rosa's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Rosa he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Rosa in her cupboard, force her to do anything, or shout at her — in fact, they didn't speak to her at all.**

"That's good," Ron said.

"It would get lonely though," Luna said. Rosa nodded toward the blond girl.

**Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Rosa in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

Luna adopted a knowing look. Rosa really didn't know Luna all that much. All she about the girl was what she learned during D.A.

**Bella kept to her room, with her new snake for company. She had decided to call him Loki, a name she had grew up hearing in Myths. She also passed the time by reading her school books. They had ended up being very interesting. **

The twins gripped their hearts in mock shock. "How could you?" cried George.

"Going over to the dark side like that," Fred said. Rosa was torn between amusement and irritation.

"I can think my studies are interesting," she said. The teachers in the room looked at this statement approvingly. "Besides after being told magic didn't exist it was fascinating to learn about it." She knew only Hermione would get what she was saying. Everyone else had been raised with magic and didn't understand what it felt like to live without it. "It was like my dreams were finally coming true and those books were the proof."

Hermione nodded in her understanding. The others tried to understand but in the end took her word for it.

**She found Potions and D.A.D.A by far the most interesting. **

Snape raised his eyebrow at this. "Really?" She smirked at him.

"It may have been something to do with the snarky professor that changed my opinion on it." Snape sneered at her but his eyes were softer than they normally were.

"Indeed Potter."

**She lay on her bed reading late into the night, Loki coiled around the bed post. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because she really hated snakes. Every night before she went to sleep, Rosa ticked off another day on the piece of paper she had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.**

"I use to do that too," Sirius said. Rosa knew out of everybody in this room he would be the one to understand her reasoning for wanting to leave. The ache that filled your chest when you were away from Hogwarts, and at a place that you loathed with your very being.

**On the last day of August she thought she'd better speak to her aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day,**

"Was it smart to wait until last minute?" Neville asked with a frown.

"She probably did it so they wouldn't be able to change their mind," Luna spoke from her seat.

"She's right." Luna sent her a dreamy smile. Rosa couldn't help but wonder what she would look like when she was serious? Without the dreaminess that clouded her eyes.

**so she went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

This caused a round of laughter and good jobs from the twins.

**"Er — Uncle Vernon?" Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

** "Er — I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to — to go to Hogwarts." Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?" Grunt. Rosa supposed that meant yes.**

"Do you speak troll Rosa?" snickered Ron. Rosa rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh shut it Ron," she said.

**"Thank you." She was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

**"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"**

"Why would we use magic carpets?" Draco scoffed. Rosa and Hermione looked at him in amusement.

"Well that's how Muggles see Wizards getting around," Hermione said.

"Well at least one means of transportation," Rosa added. Draco stared at them.

"Muggles are weird," was all he said.

**Rosa didn't say anything. "Where is this school, anyway?"**

**"I don't know," said Rosa, realizing this for the first time. She pulled the ticket Hagrid had given her out of her pocket.**

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," she read. Her aunt and uncle stared.**

**"Platform what?"**

**"Nine and three-quarters."**

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

"Petunia knew," Snape said. "She should have showed you." A frown was etched across his face and not for the first time Rosa found herself gazing curiously at him.

**"It's on my ticket."**

**"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

**"Why are you going to London?" Rosa asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

"You shouldn't have bothered," Bill said. "Should have just walked away." Rosa silently agreed with him.

**Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

"Should have kept it," Charlie said. "Would have been a great conversation starter." This caused everyone to laugh and take a few minutes before calming down.

**Rosa woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep.**

The women cooed at how excited she had been. Rosa blushed and hid her face in Sirius's shoulder. Theo looked at this in jealousy wishing he was Sirius in that moment. He also couldn't help but see how cute she had been while blushing.

**She got up and pulled on her jeans because she didn't want to walk into the station in her wizard's robes —**

"Good thinking," Mad eye said.

**she'd change on the train. She checked her Hogwarts list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed, saw that Loki was hidden safely away so that the Dursleys wouldn't see him, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up.**

**Two hours later, Rosa's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Rosa, and they had set off.**

"Who wants to bet that he was a bit richer after that," Ron said bitterly.

** They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Rosa's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for her.**

"That's oddly nice," Theo said sounding worried. He glanced at the hiding girl as did most of the others.

**Rosa thought this was strangely kind **

Rosa sent a smile toward Theo before hiding once again. She decided it would be safer until after the Dursleys were no longer involved.

**until Uncle Vernon stopped dead,**

"I wish," mumbled Rosa. Sirius looked down at her in amusement.

** facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face. "Well, there you are, girl. Platform nine — platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"**

"It's there," growled Remus.

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all. "Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Rosa turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.**

"You knew where it was Petunia," snapped of all people Snape. This only added fuel to Rosa's already growing curiosity for her Professor. There was more to his story then she knew and she wanted to find out what it was.

Hopefully it would be revealed in these books.

**Rosa's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was she going to do? She was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of the oddly shaped packages and how she just stood there. She'd have to ask someone. She stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters.**

"Smart," said Mad eye.

**The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Rosa couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Rosa was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Rosa asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one.**

McGonagall wrote something down on a piece of parchment.

"What are you writing Professor?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I'm writing down ideas on how we can help Muggleborns or students who live with Muggles on things like this. It wouldn't do for a kid to miss the train because they weren't informed." Dumbledore nodded in agreement and decided to keep a list on what they could change or make better.

**In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Rosa was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, she had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and she had no idea how to do it; she was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk she could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a snake. **

**Said snake slivered from its place in her jackets pocket to wrap reassuringly around her arm. It made her feel slightly calmer. **

Everyone smiled at this. "Speaking of Loki where is he?" Hermione asked. Rosa shrugged.

"Probably in the dorm. That's where he was before we appeared here." Rosa grew worried about her familiar even if she knew time had been frozen but she couldn't help the worry. For the past four years she had never been without him and she felt oddly lonely.

Just as this thought past threw her mind there was another blinding white light. When it disappeared a snake was resting on her lap. He had grown the last couple years and could now wrap around her waist a few times.

She smiled down at her familiar. **_"Hello Loki." _**She ran her finger lovingly over his head.

**_"Little serpent," _**he said in acknowledgement. He slid up her arm and laid his head on her shoulder.

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell her something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. She wondered if she should get out her wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten_._ **

"Probably not the best of ideas," Blaise said in a teasing manner. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"I didn't do it."

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind her and she caught a few words of what they were saying. "— packed with Muggles, of course —"**

Those who didn't know sighed in relief. "Thank you Molly," Sirius said. Mrs. Weasley just waved off his words.

**Rosa swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair.**

"So this is how you met," Sirius said.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Rosa's in front of them — and they had an owl. Heart hammering, Rosa pushed her cart after them. They stopped and so did she, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"Who could forget?" asked Remus.

"There's no harm in going over it," Mrs. Weasley said.

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl,**

Ginny blushed when she remembered how she had acted. Rosa sent her a smile.

**also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mum, can't I go…"**

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first." What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Rosa watched, careful not to blink in case she missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of her and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

The group smiled at Ginny while her blush deepened.

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"**

Remus and Sirius beamed at them. They were glad that there was another generation of pranksters at Hogwarts.

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went.**

Mrs. Weasley groaned she really hated when they did that. Rosa smiled at her. "It's easy to tell them apart when you know what to look for," she said. The while family looked at her in amazement.

"You can tell them apart?" Ron said.

"Yes. Back before Hogwarts there were twins in my class and I learned to look for things that could help you tell them apart." Rosa pointed at George.

"George's eyes are slightly lighter than Fred's and Fred keeps his hair slightly shorter than George's." The twins looked at her in surprise. No one had ever figured that out before. Not even their close friend Lee.

"You'd make a great Auror," Mad eye said.

"You've told me that once before… well not you but the intruder did," Rosa said feeling slightly awkward. Mad eye's face darkened at the mention of the fake.

** His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone — but how had he done it? Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there — and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere. There was nothing else for it.**

**"Excuse me," Rosa said to the plump woman.**

"So polite," Mrs. Weasley said.

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

The twins burst out laughing at this description. "Best one yet," gasped George. Ron glared at his best mate and Rosa smiled innocently back at him.

**"Yes," said Rosa. "The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to —"**

**"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Rosa nodded.**

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

**"Er — okay," said Rosa. She pushed her trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

"That's the point," teased Draco. She stuck her tongue out at him.

**She couldn't help but feel that she would crash into it but this was magic. She started to walk toward it. People jostled her on their way to platforms nine and ten. Rosa walked more quickly. She was going to smash right into that barrier and then she'd be in trouble — leaning forward on her cart, she broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — she wouldn't be able to stop — the cart was out of control — she was a foot away — she closed her eyes ready for the crash — It didn't come… she kept on running… she opened her eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Rosa looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, she had done it.**

Ron and Rosa shared a look. They wished it had been that easy second year.

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

"I have a question," Neville said. "How was Loki able to come to Hogwarts? There not on the list." Dumbledore was the one to answer this.

"Loki was a special case," he began. "Familiars are allowed at Hogwarts with their masters no matter what the species." Neville nodded understanding.

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Rosa pushed her cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat.**

The adults in the room smiled as they remembered their own experiences on the train.

**She passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

**"Oh, Neville," she heard the old woman sigh.**

Neville blushed wishing that Rosa wasn't so perceptive.

** A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

The twins cheered and yelled," Lee!"

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on." The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

"What was that?" Tonks asked while shuddering.

**Rosa pressed on through the crowd until she found an empty compartment near the end of the train. She started to shove and heave her trunk toward the train door. She tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice she dropped it painfully on her foot.**

Everyone winced.

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins she'd followed through the barrier.**

"George," Rosa said with a smile.

**"Yes, please," Rosa panted.**

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" With the twins' help, Rosa's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her boys.

**The twins caught sight of Loki who was wrapped around her neck.**

**"Thanks," said Rosa, pushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Rosa's lightning scar while the other one pointed at the snake. **

Mrs. Weasleys smile turned into a frown.

**"He's my familiar," Rosa said. A light seemed to click as they stared at her. **

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you —?"**

**"She is," said the first twin.**

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at the two boys.

**"Aren't you?" he added to Rosa.**

**"What?" said Rosa.**

**"Rosa Potter." chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, her," said Rosa.**

Everyone laughed at Rosa who huffed and glared at them. "I wasn't use to having people know me. I was shocked."

**"I mean, yes, I am." The two boys gawked at her, and Rosa felt herself turning red.**

"Sorry bout that," the twins apologized.

**Then, to her relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door. "Fred? George? Are you there?" **

**"Coming, Mum." With a last look at Rosa, the twins hopped off the train. Rosa sat down next to the window where, half hidden, she could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.**

"Naughty, naughty," George said with a grin. "Shame on you for ease dropping."

"We just might turn you into a prankster yet," Fred said his grin widening.

**Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief. "Ron, you've got something on your nose." The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

**"Mum — geroff" He wriggled free.**

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

Both twins smirked and said at the same time that it was then. Rosa shook her head. Ron glared playfully at his friend from across the room.

**"Shut up," said Ron.**

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

"Who cares," mumbled Ginny. Mrs. Weasley who had heard shot her a look. Percy scowled at the wall.

**"He's coming now." The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Rosa noticed a red and gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.**

The twins smirked to themselves.

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —"**

**"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once —"**

**"Or twice —"**

**"A minute —"**

**"All summer —"**

Sirius and Remus grinned at this.

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

**"Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — you've blown up a toilet or —"**

"Never give pranksters ideas Molly," Sirius said.

"Thank Merlin they never did," she said. The twins shared a look that no one noticed.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."**

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

**"Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?" Rosa leaned back quickly so they couldn't see her looking.**

The twins grinned at her. "You really would be amazing at pranking," Fred said. Rosa smiled to herself. They had no idea. She had never told them that her father was Prongs and was going to wait until it said it in the books. She couldn't wait to see their shocked faces.

**"You know that black-haired girl who was near us in the station? Know who she is?"**

**"Who?"**

**"Rosa Potter!" Rosa heard the little girl's voice.**

**"Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see her, Mum, eh please…"**

Ginny blushed a red that matched her hair. "This is embarrassing," she said.

"Be thankful that your crush isn't here," teased Rosa. Ginny's blush deepened.

"I've just thought of something," Hermione said. "Every secret that we ever told Rosa will most likely be mentioned in this book." Rosa's grin widened.

"Yes!" she said. "I won't be the only one that has their secrets aired out for everyone to see."

"No," said Ron. "Just the main one." Rosa scowled at him.

**"You've already seen her, Ginny, and the poor girl isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is she really, Fred? How do you know?"**

Rosa smiled at Mrs. Weasley.

**"Asked her. Saw her scar. It's really there — like lightning."**

**"Poor dear — no wonder she was alone, I wondered. She was ever so polite when she asked how to get onto the platform."**

**"Never mind that, do you think she remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

"You better not have asked," Theo said.

"That's all the girl would need on the first day of school," McGonagall said.

**Their mother suddenly became very stern. "I forbid you to ask her, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though she needs reminding of that on her first day at school."**

**"All right, keep your hair on." A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat."**

"I never did get that," Ginny said accusingly. The twins grinned at her.

"It went to someone who needed it more." They sent a look toward Rosa that no one noticed.

**"George!"**

**"Only joking, Mum." The train began to move. Rosa saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

"Aw," the females cooed. Ginny blushed again.

**Rosa watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Rosa felt a great leap of excitement. She didn't know what she was going to — but it had to be better than what she was leaving behind.**

Sirius sent her a sad look. He should have been there for her.

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in. "Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Rosa. "Everywhere else is full."**

Rosa sent Ron a smile which was returned.

**Rosa shook her head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Rosa and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Rosa saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

"You didn't tell me?" Ron said.

"Ron how many times did someone mention it." Ron blushed.

**"Hey, Ron." The twins were back.**

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

Ron shuddered. He really hated spiders.

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Rosa," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."**

**"Bye," said Rosa and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Rosa Potter?" Ron blurted out. Rosa nodded.**

**"Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron.**

The twins pretended to act like they were offended. "Would we joke about that?" George said. Everyone looked at them.

"Yes."

**"And have you really got — you know…" He pointed at Rosa's forehead. "Scar," he said in a hushed voice. Rosa pulled back her fringe to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.**

**"Wicked," he said. "So that's where You-Know-Who —?"**

**"Yes," said Rosa, "but I can't remember it."**

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "I told you not to ask her!" Ron cowered away from the women.

"No you told George and Fred not to ask."

"I had meant everyone," she said.

**"Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

**"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Rosa for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Rosa, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found her.**

"Really?" Ron asked.

"Well yeah," Rosa said.

**"Er — Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"Why not?" asked Tonks.

"He doesn't want any contact," Mr. Weasley said. "He's jealous of our powers."

"Still send him holiday cards though," Mrs. Weasley said.

**"So you must know loads of magic already." The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

"Not exactly," Draco said. "And stop referring me as the pale boy." Rosa rolled her eyes.

"Well when I learn your name I will."

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

**"Horrible — well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

**"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy.**

Ron blushed at the stares he was receiving from his family. "Bloody books," he said.

"Welcome to the world that has become mine," Rosa said. "And this is only the beginning."

"Just wait until you're older," Sirius said. "I bet it'll be way more embarrassing. Especially when you get your first crush." Rosa paled at this. God she hated having her personal thoughts written in a book. How embarrassing would the years that she hadn't experienced yet be?

**"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.**

"Oh Ron," Mrs. Weasley said sadly. "We didn't know you felt like that." Ron blushed again.

"I don't feel like that now mum," he said. Nevertheless Mrs. Weasley got up to hug him.

"You shouldn't," Rosa said. "You kind of out shine the lot now. No offense," she said quickly. "But after playing huge wizarding chess and winning, coming up against Aragog, the chamber, and others its kinda hard to beat." Ron smiled at her.

"Yes but I haven't done half as much as you." Everyone paled at the mention of this. Rosa quickly waved Mad eye to read.

**You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."**

Those who knew about the rat glared at the book. Those who didn't looked highly confused. Rosa stroked the head of Loki. She now wished she had let him eat him all those times he tried.

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep. As soon as Ron had pulled out the rat Loki uncoiled himself from around her neck and made a move toward Ron. **

"Should have just let him eat him," muttered Rosa. Sirius sent her an amused look.

**Ron looked startled by the snake. "Sorry," Rosa said. "I'll keep him away from your pet." **

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff — I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

Rosa sent Ron a glare. "Like I care about that." He sent her a sheepish smile.

**Rosa didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, she'd never had any money in her life until a month ago, and she told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

Mrs. Weasley glared at her son along with a few others. Rosa was smiling sweetly at him.

"I'll forgive you some day," she said jokingly.

**"… and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a witch or about my parents or Voldemort —" Ron gasped.**

**"What?" said Rosa.**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed.**

"Now he just gets irritated," laughed Rosa. Ron huffed.

**"I'd have thought you, of all people —"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Rosa, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn… I bet," she added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying her a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class." She began stroking Loki's head. **

Rosa laughed she was doing the exact same thing now. "The title belongs to me," joked Neville. Rosa shook her head.

"All you need is some confidence," Rosa said. "You do great during D.-. I mean you'll do great with some confidence." Everyone who didn't know about D.A. gazed curiously at her slip up. The members didn't comment on it and they waited for Mad eye to begin reading.

They didn't want to give anything away until they had to. Sensing this Mad eye went on.

**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

"That's true," McGonagall said.

** While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

Ron shook his head remembering.

**Rosa, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to her feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Rosa went out into the corridor. She had never had any money for sweets with the Dursleys, and now that she had pockets rattling with gold and silver she was ready to buy as many Mars Bars**

"What are those?" Draco asked.

"It's a Muggle chocolate," Hermione said.

**as she could carry — but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Rosa had never seen in her life. Not wanting to miss anything, she got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

"I hope you didn't get sick eating all that," Mrs. Weasley said worriedly her mother instincts kicking in.

**Ron stared as Rosa brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat. "Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Rosa, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef…"**

Mrs. Weasley glanced sadly at her son. "Then who was it that liked corned beef?"

"Me mum," Bill said.

**"Swap you for one of these," said Rosa, holding up a pasty. "Go on —"**

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Rosa, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with.**

"Aw," cooed the twins.

"Leave it to you two to become friends over food," Hermione said while shaking her head.

"Not as exciting as how we all became friends," Rosa said with a smile. The teachers were the only ones who had a hunch about what started the friendship. They frowned at the thought of them being right.

**It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Rosa's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten). "What are these?" Rosa asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. **

**"They're not really frogs, are they?" She was starting to feel that nothing would surprise her. **

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

"Is that the only one?" Sirius asked.

"Also need Ptolemy," Ron said.

"That's quite a collection."  
**"What?"**

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

**Rosa unwrapped her Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and moustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

**"So this is Dumbledore!" said Bella.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!"**

Everyone looked at him in amusement and he blushed again.

**said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks —" Rosa turned over her card and read:**

**_ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_**

**_CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS_**

**_Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald _**

At this Dumbledore forced himself not to flinch. Sadness filled his blue eyes.

**_in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel._**

"All the time on that bloody card," Rosa said with a shake of her head.

"All those books," moaned Ron. Everyone looked at them in bewilderment. What did they mean?

**_Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling._**

**Rosa turned the card back over and saw, to her astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

"Why's that so weird?" Draco asked.

"Pictures stay still in Muggle photos," said Rosa. Mr. Weasley looked excited by this.

**"He's gone!"**

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron.**

**"He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her… do you want it? You can start collecting." Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped. "Help yourself," said Rosa. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

"See," said Rosa.

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"**

"Ron's talking like dad," George snickered to his twin.

**Rosa stared as Dumbledore **

"Its not nice to stare Rosa," said Fred jokingly. She rolled her eyes at him.

**sidled back into the picture on her card and gave her a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Rosa couldn't keep her eyes off them. Soon she had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin.**

Mrs. Weasley worried about how much chocolate they would have consumed.

** She finally tore her eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.**

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Rosa. "When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavoured one once."**

"I did," said George looking disgusted.

"How would you know what a booger tastes like anyway Georgie," Rosa said with a smirk. Everyone cracked up at the face George pulled and what Rosa said.

"Nice one Rosa," Fred said. George playfully hit his twin.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner. "Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts."**

"Sprouts aren't that bad," Mr. Weasley said.

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavour Beans. Rosa got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end of a funny grey one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

"Not bad pickings," Remus said. "You guys got lucky."

"One of the only things Rosa is lucky at," joked Ron. Rosa glared at him.

"Oi!" she said. "I'm lucky!"

"Sure Rosa."

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Rosa had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

"Poor Neville," cooed the twins. Neville grew red in the face.

**"He'll turn up," said Rosa.**

"That was nice of you dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him…" He left.**

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. **

"Oi!" yelled Neville.

**Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."**

Ron mumbled incoherent words under his breath about the rat. Percy scowled. 'There was nothing wrong with that rat,' he thought.

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap. Loki watched him from his place around Rosa's neck. "He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…" He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

**"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway —" He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

"Hey!" shouted Hermione.

"Don't shout at me," Rosa said. "I'm not the one that sent these books back."

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand. **

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

**"Er — all right." He cleared his throat.**

**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

The twins laughed. "Can't believe you fell for that Ronnie." Ron glared at them but his ears had turned pink.

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep. "Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it?**

**I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is,**

Mad eye stopped to breath and looked at the girl in amazement. 'A good pair of lungs at that one,' he thought.

**I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She said all this very fast. Rosa looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

**"Rosa Potter," said Rosa. **

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."**

**"Am I?" said Rosa, feeling dazed.**

"Probably not very accurate," Rosa said. "I don't remember doing any interviews." Everyone laughed. Hermione frowned. She had been a little over the top.

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her. "Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. Rosa thought this was a little harsh but didn't say anything.**

"Ronald!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. Ron looked sheepish. Hermione glared daggers at him and Rosa felt glad that it was him and not her.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

The twins snickered again.

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Rosa.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

"We'd still be proud of you," Mr. Weasley said.

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

"Can't believe I ever did that," Rosa said.

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Rosa, trying to take Ron's mind off houses.**

"How sweet," cooed Bill and Charlie. Rosa and Ron glared at them. Theo felt jealousy rise in him again.

**"So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?" Rosa was wondering what wizards and witches did once they'd finished school.**

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles — someone tried to rob a high security vault."**

The teachers and the trio frowned. Rosa couldn't believe she hadn't put it together sooner. She had after all seen him there at Diagon Alley the same day.

**Rosa stared. "Really? What happened to them?"**

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

Rosa stared at Ron. Hermione turned to face the boy also. "That's bloody amazing," he said. Those who didn't know what was going on frowned at this.

**Rosa turned this news over in her mind. She was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned.**

"Really?" Ron asked. Rosa just glared at him.

** She supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.**

"Your just afraid because everyone tells you to be," Dumbledore said.

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

**"Er — I don't know any." Rosa confessed.**

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world —" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Rosa through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

"Wonder who that could be," Rosa said with a smile.

"Sorry in advance," Draco said.

**Three boys entered, and Rosa recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkins robe shop. He was looking at Rosa with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Rosa Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

"Yes sir," Rosa said happily. Draco rolled his eyes at this.

**Yes," said Rosa. She was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Rosa was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Loki hissed lowly only Rosa heard. **

The Weasleys glared at Draco. "I'm really sorry," he said. "Truly."

**He turned back to Rosa. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Rosa's, but Rosa didn't take it.**

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," she said coolly. Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents.**

At this Draco got another round of angry faces. Theo clenched his fists and looked like he was going to hit the blond. Before anyone could say anything Rosa stood.

"This is all in the past," she said sternly. "We're giving him a second chance so that means no judging." Everyone calmed down slightly but still didn't look happy. Once again Rosa found herself curious about Theo and his reactions.

**They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." Loki hissed again this time everyone heard him and Draco gave him a nervous glance. Both Rosa and Ron stood up. **

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered having recovered from the snake shock.**

**"Unless you get out now," said Rosa, more bravely than she felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than her or Ron.**

"No joking," snickered the twins.

**"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell. Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's**

"Only useful thing," Ron mumbled. Sirius and Remus whole heartedly agreed with him. Once again Percy found himself irritated with the fact that these people seemed to dislike the rat. But what can you expect from people that had been brain washed by Dumbledore and Rosalind.

That trusted an escapee from Azkaban for Merlin sakes!

**— Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

**"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

**"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Rosa. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep."**

There was no humor in the laughter that the Golden trio, Sirius, and Remus shared.

**And so he had. "You've met Malfoy before?" Rosa explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

Theo glared at Ron. "You do realize she's a girl right?" Blaise asked. Ron blushed and looked down at his lap. Rosa stared with amusement at everybody.

**All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

"What a great first meeting," Tonks said with a smirk.

"How did you three become friends?" Charlie asked. The trio smirked at each other.

"You'll have to wait and see," Hermione said.

**Ron glared at her as she left. Rosa peered out of the window. It was getting dark. She could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. She and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.**

"Why do you have to be so observant?" Ron mumbled.

"It's part of my charm," Rosa said.

"It's bloody annoying," he said.

"I can't control what I think."

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."**

"Is that message recorded?" asked Sirius. "It's been the same since we've gone to Hogwarts."

"Well it would be kind of boring to only say that once a year," Remus said.

** Rosa's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, she saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Rosa shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Rosa heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Rosa?"**

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

**"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Rosa thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much.**

**Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!" The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

Everyone was lost in their own memories for a moment with dreamy looks on their faces.

**"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Rosa and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid**

"Always wondered how Hagrid gets through," said Rosa. "He never lowered his head."

"There's a specific spot charmed to let him through," Dumbledore said.

** as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.**

"Ugh stop noticing me," Neville said. Rosa just smiled at him.

** Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.**

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"That's the end," Mad eye said. "Who's next?" Sirius raised his hand and took the offered book. Rosa knew what was next and wondered how they would take her almost being put in Slytherin. Not that she cares now. Merlin she had been naïve back then.

Sirius turned to the correct chapter. **"The Sorting Hat."**

**So I've noticed that I have a lot of favorites and followers but many of you don't Review. Come on people I love hearing what you have to say about the story even if it is just to tell me to update soon. **

**What do you guys like about the story?**

**Leave your answer in a review!**


	8. The Sorting Hat

Chapter Eight

The Sorting Hat

**"The Sorting Hat,"** Sirius said.

"So we finally get to hear what the sorting hat said to you," Hermione said. Rosa wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. There was some stuff said that she wasn't ready for them to know. Heck it still confused her.

"Great," she said with false cheeriness.

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Rosa's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"She's not," Sirius snickered. McGonagall glared at him.

"It didn't seem like you understood that," she said.

"Oh we did," he said. "It was just so much fun."

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Rosa could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

"Aw is the ickle firsties afraid?" the twins cooed. Rosa rolled her eyes at them.

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.**

"Or for people like us who spends their free time in the hospital wing," Hermione said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rosa said innocently.

"Get the snitch or die trying," George said. Sirius's eyes narrowed.

"When was this?" Rosa kept her mouth closed. Ron however didn't see a reason to.

"Second year," Ron said. Before he could go on Rosa threw a pillow at him. He dodged it but understood not to go on. Sirius wasn't the only one that felt worried about this. Theo also looked highly concerned.

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points.**

McGonagall sent Sirius a pointed look.

**At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose.**

"You still haven't cleaned your nose," Mrs. Weasley said.

"How many times has it been mentioned," Hermione said.

**Rosa nervously tried to flatten her hair and placed Loki in her inner robe pocket. "I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber. Rosa swallowed.**

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" she asked Ron.**

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Rosa couldn't help but also believe he was joking. **

"I was," Fred said.

**Rosa didn't believe that they would make them do anything to bad. Especially not a test. Plenty of the other first years were like her. Having no clue how to do magic. **

**She looked around and saw that everyone else looked terrified. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Rosa tried hard not to listen to her. She kept her eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead her to her doom.**

Hermione raised her eye brow at this. "You're not worried about a test but you still believe you're going to your doom?" Rosa shrugged.

"I was eleven. Even though I figured it wouldn't be a test it could still be something different."

**Then something happened that made her jump about a foot in the air — several people behind her screamed.**

"The ghosts," Theo said.

**"What the —?" She gasped. So did the people around her. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"**

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?" **

"The same argument each year," Sirius said. Rosa smiled at the mention of the poltergeist.

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years "New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely.**

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice.**

"Minnie!" Sirius and the twins cheered. McGonagall sent a glare toward Sirius.

** "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." Feeling oddly as though her legs had turned to lead, Rosa got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind her, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Rosa had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place.**

Everyone smiled at the memory of their own first time going through those doors.

**It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Rosa looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. She heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."**

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.**

"Yes it does give that impression," Dumbledore said.

**Rosa quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

"Wouldn't want it anywhere near her," Fred said.

"She might contaminate it," George said. Rosa snorted at this.

**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, **

"Why would you pull a rabbit out of a hat?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Its Muggle magic," Hermione said.

"Muggle magic?" Draco asked

"Its an illusion," Rosa said.

**Rosa thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing — noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, she stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:'**

"Sing it!" cried the twins. Sirius sent them a smile.

**"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**

**But don't judge on what you see,**

**I'll eat myself if you can find**

**A smarter hat than me.**

The pranksters smirked to themselves. They were planning to find a smarter hat.

**_You can keep your bowlers black,_**

**_Your top hats sleek and tall,_**

**_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_**

**_And I can cap them all._**

**_There's nothing hidden in your head_**

**_The Sorting Hat can't see,_**

**_So try me on and I will tell you_**

**_Where you ought to be._**

**_You might belong in Gryffindor,_**

The Gryffindor's cheered.

**_Where dwell the brave at heart,_**

**_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_**

**_Set Gryffindors apart;_**

**_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_**

Tonks cheered.

**_Where they are just and loyal,_**

**_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_**

**_And unafraid of toil;_**

**_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_**

Luna gave a dreamy smile.

**_If you've a ready mind,_**

**_Where those of wit and learning,_**

**_Will always find their kind;_**

**_Or perhaps in Slytherin_**

The Slytherins in the room didn't cheer but they did smirk.

**You'll make your real friends,**

**Those cunning folk use any means**

**To achieve their ends.**

**So put me on! Don't be afraid!**

**And don't get in a flap!**

**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**

"That's reassuring," Neville said.

**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. "So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Rosa. "I'll kill Fred; he was going on about wrestling a troll." Rosa thought that would have been farfetched but didn't say anything. **

Ron glared at her. "What?" Rosa said innocently.

"When will you realize you can't listen to what Fred and George says," Mrs. Weasley said. Ron blushed.

**Rosa smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but she did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Rosa didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment.**

**If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for her.**

"That would be where everyone would go dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!" A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.**

Tonks cheered again.

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Rosa saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at Hannah. "Bones, Susan!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

Tonks cheered again and Snape sent her an annoyed look.

"Are you going to do this every time?" Snape asked. Tonks just sent a sickly sweet smile his way.

**shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. "Boot, Terry!"**

**"RAVENCLAW!"**

Luna smiled.

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. "Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Rosa could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Rosa looked over toward the table that cheered. She didn't understand what everyone had against them they didn't seem like an unpleasant lot. **

The Slytherins glanced at her. "Well not all of you," Rosa said. "I've come across unpleasant Slytherins." She shivered at the memory of them.

**She was starting to feel definitely sick now. She remembered being picked for teams during gym at her old school. She had always been last to be chosen, not because she was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked her.**

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

**HUFFLEPUFF!"**

Tonks cheered again and sent Snape a smirk.

**Sometimes, Rosa noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Rosa in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

**"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

Hermione blushed.

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.**

The twins cheered and cat called.

**Ron groaned. A horrible thought struck Rosa, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if she wasn't chosen at all? What if she just sat there with the hat over her eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off her head and said there had obviously been a mistake and she'd better get back on the train?**

"That had never happened," McGonagall said. "As it never will."

"Such a pessimist," Fred said. Rosa sent them a dirty look.

"Shut it," she said.

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool.**

"Stop noticing me!" he cried. Rosa sent him a sheepish smile.

**The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." Malfoy swaggered forward **

"I do not swagger!" Draco exclaimed. Rosa smirked at him.

"You kind of do," she said.

**when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. There weren't many people left now. "Moon"…, "Nott"… , "Parkinson"… , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"… , then "Perks, Sally-Anne"… , and then, at last —**

**"Potter, Rosalind!" As Rosa stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

**"Potter, did she say?"**

**"The Rosa Potter?"**

"That's got to get annoying," Sirius said.

"You have no idea," Rosa said.

** The last thing Rosa saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at her. Next second she was looking at the black inside of the hat. She waited.**

**"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult. Very difficult.**

"No she's not," Ron said. "She's a Gryffindor." Rosa didn't comment.

**Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?"**

Neville looked at her in shock. "You could have gotten put in any of them," he said. Rosa nodded.

**You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that**

Her friends stared at her in shock. "You almost got put in Slytherin!" Ron yelled.

"Is that a problem?" Rosa asked while crossing her arms. She glared at Ron daring him to say something. He kept his mouth closed and she leaned back into her seat.

**But no there's only one place you can go. Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table burst into cheers. **

** Before you go Potter there's one more thing I must tell you. You're very special and important for the future. You'll save someone's life that will make all the difference. And do pay attention to your dreams." **

"Well that's not cryptic," Hermione said. Rosa however was thinking about the dreams that she's had since then.

**She took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. She hardly noticed that she was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook her hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"**

Percy glared at her and she just sent him an innocent look.

**Rosa sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff she'd seen earlier. The ghost patted her arm, giving Rosa the sudden, horrible feeling she'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

The ones that had experienced that shivered. "Worst feeling ever," Remus said.

**She could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest her sat Hagrid, who caught her eye and gave her the thumbs up. Rosa grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore.**

**Rosa recognized him at once from the card she'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Rosa spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

Rosa's face hardened at the mention of the faker. As did many others.

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Rosa at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.**

**Rosa crossed her fingers under the table**

Ron grinned at her. She grinned back. "Thanks," he said.

"I could've been wishing you were going to go somewhere else." Ron frowned.

"Sure you were."

**and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Rosa clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to her.**

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Rosa as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin.**

Blaise's friends smirked at him.

**Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Rosa looked down at her empty gold plate. She had only just realized how hungry she was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! "Thank you!"**

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Rosa didn't know whether to laugh or not. "Is he — a bit mad?" she asked Percy uncertainly.**

Rosa blushed she had forgotten about that. "Indeed I am," Dumbledore said. "But it gets boring otherwise." Rosa sent him a small smile.

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Rosalind?"**

Rosa flinched. She loved her name but it was only spoken when she was in trouble and made her feel like she was.

**Rosa's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. She had never seen so many things she liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.**

Ron's stomach growled.

**The Dursleys favorite punishment was to starve Rosa, but even when she wasn't starved she'd never been allowed to eat as much as she liked. **

This caused a round of growls in this room. Rosa grabbed Sirius's hand to calm him.

**Dudley had always taken anything that Rosa really wanted, even if it made him sick.**

Another round of growls. The grip on Rosa's hand tightened.

**"It's just Rosa," she said to Percy.**

"Don't you like your name?" Sirius asked.

"I love my name it just makes me feel like I'm in trouble," Rosa explained.

**Then Rosa piled her plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious. "That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Rosa cut up her steak.**

**"Can't you —?"**

**"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

**"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

**"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

"It is," Sirius said. "He secretly loves it."

"Most ghosts love talking about their death," Remus said.

"Except for the Bloody Baron," Sirius said.

"You would know that wouldn't you?" Remus said with a smirk. Sirius scowled at him. Rosa however just smiled.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

"He didn't say," Sirius said. Remus smirked.

"And then chased him up and down the corridors," Remus snickered.

**"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindor's! **

**I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindor's have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost." Rosa looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.**

**He was right next to Malfoy who, Rosa was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

Draco scowled at her. "Sorry," she said. "This was when we didn't like each other."

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.**

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…**

**As Rosa helped herself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families. "I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."**

Snape flinched at this. "That could have ended badly," Hermione said. He knew what could have happened if it ended badly. His childhood flashed across his vision.

**The others laughed. "What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

**"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.**

"That's horrible," McGonagall said. "That could have ended badly."

**And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad." On Rosa's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons**

**("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; **

**"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing —. Rosa, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore.**

**Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.**

"Potter!" growled Snape.

"I'm sorry!" Rosa said. "I can't control my thoughts." Snape didn't say anything else but kept scowling at her.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Rosa's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Rosa's forehead.**

"What's happening?" Sirius asked worriedly. Rosa however was thinking back. Quirrell had been right next to Snape. It was Quirrell not Snape how could she have been so stupid.

**"Ouch!" Rosa clapped a hand to her head.**

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Rosa had gotten from the teacher's look — a feeling that he didn't like Rosa at all.**

"He did," Sirius said. "I'm afraid that's your fathers fault." Snape however was thinking that he didn't hate Rosa just hated her eyes. Lilies eyes.

Luna sent him a knowing look.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."**

**Rosa watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at her again.**

Snape thought back to why he hadn't. Her eyes brought back to many memories that hurt to think about. Flashes of Lily went across his minds eye.

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore "Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."**

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. **

The twins smirked. "He did that to us all the time," Sirius said.

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.**

Rosa shared a smile with McGonagall.

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."**

Sirius groaned. He knew that Rosa was going to find herself there at some time. He just knew it.

**Rosa laughed, but she was one of the few who did. "He's not serious?" she muttered to Percy.**

"I was," Dumbledore said.

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."**

"The Prefects aren't told everything Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said. Percy went red that matched his hair.

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. **

McGonagall's face grew hard.

**Rosa noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

Dumbledore turned to face McGonagall. "You don't like the song Minerva?"

"We love it Albus," she said. "We were just tired." Dumbledore seemed to believe this because he went cheery and motioned for Sirius to go on.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

**"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore,**

"Let's all sing it," Dumbledore said. McGonagall's smile grew fixed. The twins looked excited.

**_"and off we go!" And the school bellowed: _**

Everyone in the room did also.

**_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_**

**_Teach us something please,_**

**_Whether we be old and bald_**

**_Or young with scabby knees,_**

**_Our heads could do with filling_**

**_With some interesting stuff,_**

**_For now they're bare and full of air,_**

**_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_**

**_So teach us things worth knowing,_**

**_Bring back what we've forgot,_**

**_just do your best, we'll do the rest,_**

**_And learn until our brains all rot."_**

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

They were doing the same now.

**Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Rosa's legs were like lead again, but only because she was so tired and full of food. She was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries.**

The twins smirked at her. "Aww ickle Rosakins all tired," George said. Rosa rolled her eyes at him.

**They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Rosa was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself." A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

Rosa's grin widened. She had always gotten along with Peeves and he had helped her many times.

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head.**

"Were you alright?" McGonagall asked. Neville nodded a blush reddened his cheeks.

** They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. **

Rosa smirked. He listened to her.

**Here we are." At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

Draco smirked. "How we know where the Gryffindor common room is." It was Rosa's turn to smirk.

"And we know where the Slytherin common room is too," she said. The Slytherins looked at her in curiosity.

"How?" Theo asked. Rosa smiled mysteriously at him.

"You'll find out."

**"Password?" she said.**

**"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up —**

Neville groaned.

**and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. "See you" she called to Ron as she headed for her dorm. **

**At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed. Loki curled around the bed post. Rosa rolled over so it didn't irritate her ribs. **

This caused another round of growls. Sirius pulled her to him. She sighed in defeat.

**"That was fascinating wasn't it?" Hermione muttered to Rosa through the hangings. Rosa was going to ask Hermione if she'd had any of the treacle tart, but she fell asleep almost at once.**

"Wondered why you didn't answer," Hermione said.

**Perhaps Rosa had eaten a bit too much, because she had a very strange dream. She was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to her, telling her she must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was her destiny. Rosa told the turban she didn't want to be in Slytherin;**

Everyone looked at her worriedly.

**it got heavier and heavier; she tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at her as she struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Rosa woke, sweating and shaking.**

"How often do you have dreams like this?" Sirius asked worriedly. His grip tightened on her and she struggled to get away.

"Siri you're suffocating me," she said. He loosened his grip and she wiggled free while running into Theo. She watched Sirius warily but stayed where she was. Theo couldn't help but be happy with how close Rosa was sitting next to him.

**She rolled over and fell asleep again, and when she woke next day, she didn't remember the dream at all.**

Rosa frowned at the book. "I knew all along," she said. Hermione and Ron seemed to be the only ones who knew what she was saying. The teachers had a good idea.

"Who wants to read next?" Sirius asked while keeping his eye on Rosa.

"I will," Luna said dreamily. He handed the book to her.

**"The Potions Master."**

**Don't forget to review guys!**


	9. The Potions Master

Chapter Nine

The Potions Master

**This chapter will have added scenes that wasn't in the book. **

**"The Potions Master," **Luna said dreamily. Snape sighed knowing he wasn't going to like this chapter. Neither would many in the room.

**"There, look."**

**"Where?"**

**"Next to the tall boy with the red hair."**

"Oh that's real specific," Rosa said.

"Yeah there's more than one," Ginny said smirking at her brothers.

**"Did you see her face?"**

**"Did you see her scar?"**

**Whispers followed Rosa from the moment she left her dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at her,**

"They should be in class," Snape said while frowning. McGonagall pursed her lips.

"This is ridiculous," she said. "They shouldn't be gawking at Rosa but attending class." Rosa silently agreed. She could remember how hard it was to concentrate with all those stares burning into her back.

"At least now they don't stare at you," Ron said.

"Maybe not in adoration but in loathing yes," Rosa said. Everyone winced at the memory of the past year. There weren't many that agreed with Rosa and Dumbledore.

**or doubled back to pass her in the corridors again, staring. Rosa wished they wouldn't, because she was trying to concentrate on finding her way to classes. **

"As should they," McGonagall said.

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts:**

"How do you know that?" George asked.

"Who would count them?" Fred asked. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"I read Hogwarts: A history," she said.

** wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place,**

"The kitchens," said everyone that knew where they were. The teachers stared at them.

"You're not supposed to know that," McGonagall said. They shrugged.

"It's Hogwarts," George said.

"Nothing stays a secret long," Fred finished.

"Don't I know it," Rosa said.

**and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Rosa was sure the coats of armor could walk.**

"They can," Sirius said.

"I know that now," Rosa said.

**The ghosts didn't help, either or at least not for the other students. In the first week Rosa had made friends with both The Bloody Baron and Peeves. **

At this revelation everyone stared at her. "I understand how you could make friends with Peeves but how in the world did you make friends with The Bloody Baron?" Sirius asked.

"That's unheard of," Bill said.

"Even us Slytherins have troubles with him," Draco said. Rosa shrugged.

"I just have."

**The first time Rosa had run into The Bloody Baron she had been running late for Charms. The usual feeling of getting dunked into a frozen lake overtook her as she jumped back. "I'm so sorry sir," Rosa said. "I'm just terribly lost and running late for Charms." The Bloody Baron however just stared at her and didn't seem to hear a word she had said. **

**His usual hallow eyes searched her own green ones. Rosa grew uncomfortable under his gaze and took a step back. At any moment she suspected him of doing something horrible. "I'll just be going on," she said quickly. This snapped him out of his thoughts. **

**"Lost did you say?" he said. "Charms was it?" Rosa nodded slowly not having expected this and didn't know what to make of it. "Well follow me then. I know a short cut." This only seemed to confuse her more. She watched as he disappeared behind a painting. He poked his head back through. "Coming?"**

**Rosa didn't know if that would be a great idea but he did say it was a short cut. Anyways if it ended up being a joke she could always blame it on a ghost pointing her the wrong way. **

"That's true," Sirius said but he looked worried. Many people did but Rosa just rolled her eyes. Hadn't she already said they were friends?

**She followed the Bloody Baron through the secret passageway and found herself down the corridor from her class. She beamed at the Slytherin ghost and after saying thanks she left for her class. **

**Peeves was a different story. She hadn't seeked him out or had run into him. Quite the contrary he seemed to have been looking for her. "Ooohh an ickle firstie," he cackled in glee. One of the portraits flew from the wall and almost hit her but she dunked. Rosa gazed up at him in curiosity. She had heard many stories about the Poltergeist and how she should avoid him with all costs. However instead of being wary of him she just felt curious. **

**"Peeves right?" she asked. The ghost seemed taken aback by her lack of fear or annoyance. "Well if you don't mind I really must be going. But it was lovely to meet you." Without another word she had left the confused ghost and from then on they had built a friendship. **

"You can't make friends the normal way can you?" Remus asked. "Or with normal people." This last part was him teasing.

"Oi," Ron said. "What's that supposed to mean?" Remus didn't answer just smiled.

**Rosa and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of the caretaker, Argus Filch, on their very first morning. **

"That's a new record," Sirius said. The twins however were looking at them with adoration.

"We've never even managed that," they said.

**Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor.**

"That'll do it," George said.

**He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.**

"Thank Merlin for him," Charlie said. This statement however didn't have the same reactions with the trio and teachers. Their eyes had once again darkened. Rosa looked even slightly pale as she remembered that night. And once again unconsciously touched her throat.

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-coloured creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's.**

"He finally got rid of that annoying beast he had when we were in school," Sirius said. Remus frowned.

"Mrs. Norris is worse than the cat that he had then," he said.

"Sucks for you all," Sirius said to the Hogwarts students. They glared at him.

"She came in my third year," Bill said sourly.

** She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later.**

"Never understood how he could be so fast," Fred said. "Even with the help of secret passages."

**Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) **

Sirius and Remus shared a secret smile.

**and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.**

"I did it," Bill stated proudly. His mother however didn't seem to see think the same and glared at him.

"William Arthur Weasley!" she exclaimed. "How dare you."

"Mother if you knew the cat you'd want to," he said. She didn't stop glaring at him. However besides his mother's anger the teenagers in the room and a few other adults sent him thumbs up when she wasn't looking.

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Rosa quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.**

"Well of course there is," McGonagall said looking scandalized. This look was copied by some of the other Purebloods in the room.

"In the Muggle world that's how they interpret it," Hermione said defending her friend.

"Muggles are so weird," Draco said not for the first time.

**They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets.**

Rosa smiled. Astronomy was one of her favorite classes.

**Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.**

**Professor Flitwick, **

"My favorite teacher," Rosa whispered. Sirius smiled down at her.

"One of your mothers too," he said. Rosa beamed up at him for the new information.

**the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Rosa's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.**

McGonagall shook her head fondly.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. Rosa had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."**

Sirius smirked over at his old professor. "Then why did you always allow James and I to come back?" he asked. She refused to answer but her eyes sparkled with pride.

**Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.**

**After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.**

McGonagall smiled at Hermione again having remembered.

**The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. **

Once again people eyes darkened at the mention of the fake. Rosa touched her throat again without realizing. By now both Theo and Sirius had noticed this action and grew worried.

**His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnegan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.**

"They should have given it away," Sirius said. "What teacher doesn't like to talk about their accomplishments?" Rosa was wincing at the mention of the turban.

**Rosa was very relieved to find out that she wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like her, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start. Friday was an important day for Rosa and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.**

The twins mocked congratulated them. Rosa told them to knock it off and they huffed.

**"What have we got today?" Rosa asked Ron as she poured sugar on her porridge.**

**"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them — we'll be able to see if it's true."**

No one in the room commented as said teacher was in the room.

**"Wish McGonagall favored us," said Rosa.**

"I do not show favoritism," McGonagall said.

"That's obvious," mumbled Ron but only Hermione and Rosa heard him. Rosa sent him a smirk.

**Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.**

**Just then, the mail arrived. Rosa had gotten used to this by now, but it had given her a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.**

Hermione nodded having remembered the same experience.

**Rosa had yet to receive anything but didn't expect to.**

Everyone frowned at this. They were all thinking the same thing. Everyone should at least have someone to write to and receive from. Rosa however hadn't looked sad by this piece of information.

It just didn't bother her as she spent most her life without receiving mail.

**This morning, however, an owl fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Rosa's plate. Rosa tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:**

**_Dear Rosa,_**

**_I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?_**

**_I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Erwin._**

**_Hagrid_**

**Rosa borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled _Yes, please, see you later_ on the back of the note, and sent Erwin off again. It was lucky that Rosa had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to her so far.**

Sirius glared at Snape and glanced at Rosa. Both avoided his stormy grey eyes. Rosa no longer felt hatred toward her professor and Snape didn't seem to mind Rosa's existence anymore.

They both no longer had hard feelings for the other. Who could after sharing an experience like this one? Rosa however felt that she would at some point get to see Snapes own memories. She just wondered how long it would take for Sirius and Snape to get over their hatred for one another if they would at all.

**At the start-of-term banquet, Rosa had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked her. By the end of the first Potions lesson, she knew she'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Rosa — he hated her.**

Sirius's glare hardened then he sighed. "That's mine and James's fault," he muttered. This only confused Rosa.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.**

"It is rather disturbing," Tonks said with a grimace.

**Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Rosa's name. "Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Rosalind Potter. Our new — celebrity."**

"Git," muttered Sirius under his breath. Rosa however heard and threw him a glare.

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands.**

Draco winced.

** Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels. But there was something else in their depths that Rosa couldn't make out. Something he seemed to be hiding. **

Mad eye looked at Rosa approvingly. Snape stared at Rosa with blank eyes but inside he wondered how she had seen. Rosa however was remembering back to that day. Snapes eyes weren't exactly cold and empty. Snape was just good at disguises his pain. She glanced at him and could still see the sadness that laced his eyes.

**"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death— if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."**

"That was a wonderful speech Severus," McGonagall began. "If only you hadn't added the dunderhead ending." Snape didn't comment.

**More silence followed this little speech. Rosa and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

Hermione blushed at this and once again asked herself how she had ever acted like that.

** "Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"That is a sixth year question Severus," McGonagall said. "Highly unfair." Neither Rosa nor Snape commented. Rosa knew they would be surprised by her thoughts.

**Rosa knew this answer but fixed her features to one of confusion. **

Snape glared at her.

**Hermione's hand had shot into the air. "I don't know, sir," said Rosa.**

"Miss Potter," Snape said. "Do explain why you lied." Rosa sighed.

"I wasn't able to do well when I lived with the Dursleys. It's an old habit that I had a hard time breaking." Sirius stiffened beside her.

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything." He ignored Hermione's hand.**

**"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Rosa know the answer the lining of a goat's stomach, but once again pretended she hadn't a clue. **

Snape glared at her again. "Did you know all the answers?"

"Yes sir," she said. He shook his head and his eyes darkened.

**She tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.**

Draco winced again and his eyes grew sad. He wished he had never had to act like that.

** "I don't know, sir." She said.**

**"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfs bane?" Once again she knew exactly what the answer was. **

"You seemed to have read far more than what was necessary," McGonagall said.

"As I've said before," Rosa said. "I was fascinated with Potions and learned everything I could."

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling. "I don't know," said Rosa quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"**

Remus smiled. "That would be your mother's wit coming through," he said.

**A few people laughed; Rosa caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked.**

Theo stiffened at this and Blaise could tell that his friend was jealous. No one else seemed to notice or at least that's what he thought. Remus however had been keeping a close eye on the Slytherin and could sense the boy's jealousy.

Remus smiled slightly to himself and thought that Theo would be good for Rosa.

**Snape, however, was not pleased. "Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfs bane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"**

"You hadn't asked," stated Luna simply.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."**

"That was lucky," stated Fred. Snape however was thinking how it would have been how Lily would have answered and was why he only took one point.

Both Sirius and Remus seemed to pick up on this hidden detail.

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindor's as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. **

Both Draco and Snape knew why this was of course. Snape had a fondness for Draco as he was his godchild. Draco preferred Snape over his own father.

**He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.**

Neville winced at the memory it had been quite painful. "Sorry Longbottom," was all Snape said. But this confused the boy and many others. Rosa was the only one to see it for what it really was.

It was an olive branch of sorts. An offering of peace. Rosa beamed at the professor and he rolled his eyes at the girl but the tiniest of smiles tugged at the corner of his lips.

**"Idiot boy!"**

McGonagall who had also noticed the interaction between Rosa and Snape didn't comment.

**snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.**

**"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Rosa and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.**

**"You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills?**

"Probably because she was working on her own," Sirius said.

**Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." This was so unfair that Rosa opened her mouth to argue, but Ron kicked her behind their cauldron.**

**"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty." As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Rosa's mind was racing why did Snape hate her so much? **

The ones who knew didn't comment and avoided meeting her eyes.

**"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?" At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

Everyone who knew Hagrid smiled.

**When Rosa knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang —back." Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. "Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang." He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.**

"It's the ones with the sweet names you've got to watch out for," Charlie said. At this the trio scowled.

"Don't we know it," Ron mumbled.

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it. "Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

This caused everyone to smile again.

**"This is Ron," Rosa told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.**

**"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."**

"And the other half chasing after us," muttered Sirius to Remus. Remus smirked back.

** The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth,**

Those who had tried Hagrid's cooking frowned and nodded.

** but Rosa and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Rosa's knee and drooled all over her robes.**

"I love Fang," Rosa said happily. Sirius sent her a look of betrayal. "Padfoot doesn't count." He smirked at her.

**Rosa and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git."**

The teens snickered.

**An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her — Filch puts her up to it." Rosa told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Rosa not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

**"But he seemed to really hate me."**

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"**

Those that knew sighed.

** Yet Rosa couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet her eyes when he said that.**

"That's because he knows," Sirius said quietly.

**How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot — great with animals."**

Charlie smiled at this. "Nice change of topic," Tonks said.

**Rosa wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. **

"He did," Neville said.

**While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Rosa picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cost. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:**

**_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_**

**_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._**

**_"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon._**

**Rosa remembered Ron telling her on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date. "Hagrid!" said Rosa, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"**

**There was no doubt about it; Hagrid definitely didn't meet Rosa's eyes this time. **

"Good observation," Mad eye said.

**He grunted and offered her another rock cake. Rosa read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

"Someone seems to be onto something," Blaise said.

"Your too curious for your own good," muttered Sirius. Rosa sent him an innocent smile.

**As Rosa and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse,**

Ron and Hermione laughed. "We still do that," Ron said. Rosa nodded her head.

**Rosa thought that none of the lessons she'd had so far had given her as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Rosa?**

"I wish you had never inherited your mother and fathers curiosity," Sirius said with a shake of his head. No one spoke what was on their mind. Those six words "It'll be the death of you." They didn't want to jinx it.

"That's the ending," Luna said after a long silence. Remus held his hand out for the book.

"What's the next chapter?" Charlie asked.

**"The Midnight Duel," **read Sirius. Remus groaned along with Sirius.

"Don't tell me it's what I think it is," Remus said. Rosa made a show of zipping her lips.

"Well let's get it over with," Sirius said.

**What do you think guys? And thanks again to superwomanstar7 who helped with the ideas. Also I've got two more pairings. **

**I won't be having Ron and Hermione getting together. This is their pairings.**

**Hermione/Draco**

**And **

**Pansy/Ron **

**They won't be getting together in the books but will in the story. **


	10. The Midnight Duel

Chapter Ten

The Midnight Duel

"You better not have dueled," Mrs. Weasley said with pursed lips. Neville and the trio exchanged glances.

"We did not duel," Rosa said confidently. Snape had been watching the exchange between the four friends and found no signs of lying but he felt like there was more to it.

"Let's start then," Hermione said.

**"The Midnight Duel,"** McGonagall read.

"Still don't like the sounds of it," Mrs. Weasley said. Secretly the four students thought that she had good reason not to.

**Rosa had never believed she would meet a boy she hated more than Dudley, but that was before she met Draco Malfoy.**

Draco looked at the girl with mocked hurt. "And here I thought we were the best of friends," he mock cried. Rosa rolled her eyes at him.

**Still, first-year Gryffindor's only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much.**

"No that's later on down the road," Ron said.

"Ever wonder why they put us together?" Neville asked. Rosa looked questionably at the teachers.

"That is a good question," Rosa said. "You guys know that there is more of a chance for something to go wrong during class when you put us together."

"We have our reasons," was all Dumbledore said. Rosa wished that he didn't have to be so cryptic about everything. What was so hard with giving a straight answer anyway?

**Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday — and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together. **

"Ah tough luck," Sirius said.

**"Typical," said Rosa darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."**

"Well that didn't happen," Blaise said. Rosa sent a smile toward Draco.

"Thanks Draco," she said. "If it wasn't for you I would never have gotten on the Quidditch team." He scowled at that.

"Not what I was going for," he mumbled.

**She had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else. "You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

"Not really," everyone said.

**Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams**

Draco scowled playfully at Rosa. "We all can't be that lucky I guess," he said. The ones that didn't know about Rosa playing in her first year looked confused. However no one enlightened them.

**and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.**

Rosa raised an eyebrow at him.

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnegan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.**

Charlie glared at his brother. "You better not have touched my broom," he said. Mrs. Weasley also looked angry but Rosa figured it was for another reason entirely.

** Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly.**

"It's like when Muggles talk about Football or Soccer constantly," Hermione said.

**Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared the dormitory with Ron, about football. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Neville told Rosa he had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham football team, trying to make the players move.**

Hermione cracked up at this and Ron huffed at her. "It's not funny," muttered Ron.

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Rosa felt she'd had good reason,**

"Oi!" Neville yelled.

"Sorry Neville," Rosa muttered.

**because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

"Oh and you don't either?" Neville said. Rosa shrugged.

"My accidents are due to the fact that I'm too curious for my own good."

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book — not that she hadn't tried.**

Sirius shook his head at her and Hermione frowned at him.

** At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch through the Ages.**

"Only book worth reading," Sirius said.

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.**

Hermione threw them all a scowl.

**Rosa hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course.**

"Sorry," he muttered to Rosa. She waved him off.

"Nothing to be sorry for," she said. Others in the room didn't quite agree.

** Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke. "It's a Remembrall!" he explained.**

"Completely useless," Neville said. "It doesn't even tell you what you had forgotten." Everyone nodded in agreement.

**"Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh…" His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "… you've forgotten something…" Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.**

**Rosa and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

"I've had enough practice," McGonagall said. "I've taught them." She pointed toward Remus and Sirius.

**"What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor." Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**

**"Just looking,"**

"Sure you were," Sirius said while glaring at the boy. Draco shrank back away from him. Rosa caught the interaction and smacked Sirius in the arm and gave him a look that clearly said 'behave.'

** he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him. At three-thirty that afternoon, Rosa, Ron, and the other Gryffindor's hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Rosa had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

"We should get new brooms Albus," McGonagall said pursing her lips. Dumbledore nodded in agreement and wrote it down on a piece of paper.

** Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

"What's with all the animal references?" Neville asked. Rosa shrugged.

"I just do," she huffed.

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."**

**Rosa glanced down at her broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles. "Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"**

**"UP" everyone shouted. Rosa's broom jumped into her hand at once, but it was one of the few that did.**

Sirius beamed at her in pride. "You're a natural!" he said happily.

**Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Rosa;**

Dumbledore nodded and said "That is a good theory."

**there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground. "Up!" said Ron again only to have it whack him in the face,**

The Weasley siblings laughed and Ron's face grew red.

**Rosa couldn't help but laugh. "Shut up Rosa," he said as Rosa giggled behind her hand. **

"I don't giggle," scowled Rosa. Ron snorted.

"Sure you don't," he said.

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Rosa and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

Draco scowled. "Different people hold it a different way," Sirius said.

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —" But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

'This was not going to end well,' was what was going through everyone's mind.

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. Rosa saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and —WHAM —**

"That's going to hurt," Remus said while wincing. Neville nodded.

"It did."

**a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay face down on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight. Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

**"Broken wrist," Rosa heard her mutter.**

"Ouch," Sirius muttered.

** "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get." She turned to the rest of the class.**

**"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! **

"Somehow I don't see that happening," Remus said. Rosa smirked.

"You're probably right," she said.

**You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear." Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.**

**No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins joined in.**

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."**

Everyone glared at Draco and he sighed. "I'm sorry for my past actions. I really am." Rosa glared at everyone else.

"We really shouldn't judge on past actions," she said. "There are many people in this room who has done things that will cause anger toward them." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled.

"I think that's a wonderful idea. Very wise of you miss. Potter."

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Rosa quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch. Malfoy smiled nastily.**

**"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?"**

**"Give it here!" Rosa yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Malfoy looked smug. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!" Rosa grabbed her broom.**

"I don't like where this is going," Sirius muttered.

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble."**

Hermione ducked her head and blushed.

**Rosa ignored Hermione. Blood was pounding in her ears. She mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up she soared; air rushed through her hair, and her robes whipped out behind her — and in a rush of fierce joy she realized she'd found something she could do without being taught — this was easy, this was wonderful.**

"Yes it is," Sirius said with a smile. "One of the best feelings in the world."

**She pulled her broomstick up a little to take it even higher and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron. She turned her broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

"I hadn't expected you to be able to fly on a broom," he said. "Especially not that good." Rosa smiled at him.

**"Give it here," Rosa called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"**

**"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.** **Rosa knew, somehow, what to do.**

"That's the Potter in you," Sirius said. "Natural players."

** She leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Rosa made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

**"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Rosa called. The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.**

"Don't go for it," Charlie said. "You'll break your neck."

**Rosa saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall.**

"A true Seeker," McGonagall said with a smile.

** She leaned forward and pointed her broom handle down — next second she was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball — wind whistled in her ears, mingled with the screams of people watching — she stretched out her hand — a foot from the ground she caught it, just in time to pull her broom straight, and she toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in her fist.**

"That's amazing," Sirius said. His eyes were glistening with pride. Charlie looked stunned.

"You did that on the school brooms?" he asked amazed. "Merlin your good."

**"ROSALIND POTTER!" **

"That's not good," Sirius muttered. "It's got to be McGonagall."

"You're in trouble," Remus said. Rosa sent them a secretive smile.

**Her heart sank faster than she'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. She got to her feet, trembling.**

McGonagall watched the girl anxiously.

**"Never — in all my time at Hogwarts —"**

"Have you ever seen something so spectacular," Charlie said. McGonagall smiled.

"Honestly you wouldn't have even been able to do it," she said. Charlie looked at her in mock hurt. She just rolled her eyes at his childishness.

**Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "— how dare you — might have broken your neck —"**

**"It wasn't her fault, Professor —"**

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil —"**

**"But Malfoy —"**

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now." Rosa caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as she left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. She was going to be expelled, she just knew it.**

"Always the pessimist," commented Hermione. Rosa scowled at her.

"I have reason to be," she defended.

**She wanted to say something to defend herself, but there seemed to be something wrong with her voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at her; she had to jog to keep up. Now she'd done it. She hadn't even lasted two weeks. She'd be packing her bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when she turned up on the doorstep?**

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to her.**

"I hadn't meant to worry you miss. Potter," she said. Sirius looked confusingly at his ex-professor. In his experience Rosa should have already been dealt her punishment.

**She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Rosa trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking her to Dumbledore.**

**She thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps she could be Hagrid's assistant. Her stomach twisted as she imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while she stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.**

Hermione and Ron just shook their heads at her. "I've gotten better," Rosa scowled.

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside. "Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?" Wood? Thought Rosa, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on her?**

McGonagall looked indignant. "I would never!" she exclaimed. "I would never even think of doing such a thing." Rosa looked down in embarrassment.

"I know Professor," she said. Theo had the urge to reach out to her but forced himself to ignore the feeling.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused. "Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Rosa.**

**"In here." Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Not before sending a smirk toward Rosa and she smiled at him. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two students. "Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood — I've found you a Seeker."**

"What!" Sirius exclaimed. "You made the team in your first year!" He picked Rosa up from the couch and swung her around. When he placed her back on the couch he smiled down at her. "James would have been proud."

Rosa smiled happily at the news. She sure hoped so.

**Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight. "Are you serious, Professor?"**

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The girl's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

"Absolutely outstanding," McGonagall said. Rosa blushed and hid her face and Sirius patted her back while smirking down at her.

**Rosa nodded silently. She didn't have a clue what was going on, but she didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to her legs. "She caught that thing in her hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch herself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

Charlie faked huffed again but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. He sent her a wink and she smiled.

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once. "Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

**"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"She's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Rosa and staring at her. "Light —speedy — we'll have to get her a decent broom, Professor — a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

Rosa smiled at the memory of her old broom. She wished she still had it.

**"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…"**

Snape smirked at McGonagall and she smirked back. "We've won it for two years now and would have been four if not for bad situations and you know it." Snape just shrugged.

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Rosa. "I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you." Then she suddenly smiled.**

**"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

"Proud is an understatement," Sirius stated. "Delirious is more like it." Rosa smiled happily at him.

**"You're joking." It was dinnertime. Rosa had just finished telling Ron what had happened when she'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.**

"Wow you got Ron to forget about food," Fred teased. Ron scowled at him but his cheeks were tinted pink.

**"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never — you must be the youngest house player in about —"**

**" — a century," said Rosa, shoveling pie into her mouth.**

"That's very unlady like," Blaise teased. Rosa rolled her eyes at him but she was smiling.

** She felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me." Ron was so amazed, so impressed; he just sat and gaped at Rosa.**

"He gaps more at Hermione," Rosa whispered to Theo who was sitting beside her. Theo smirked toward the friends who were completely oblivious to the others feelings.

**"I start training next week," said Rosa. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." McGonagall walked up to her and motioned for Rosa to follow her. They walked out to the corridor and McGonagall stopped. **

**"I need a favor from you Miss. Potter," McGonagall said. "Normally I wouldn't ask this but the girl's dorm is full and our new arrival has nowhere else to sleep. Her mother would rather she not sleep in the boy's dorm so I'm asking if you'll let her have your bed and you'll move to the boy's dorm." **

**Rosa stared up at her professor. Was she really asking if she'd move to the boy's dorm? **

**"There would of course be charms around your bed." **

**"Of course. I'll move." McGonagall nodded curtly before walking back toward her office. **

"That explains how you ended up in the boy's dorm," Sirius said. Theo still didn't like the fact that she was there and scowled down at his hands. Blaise sent him a sympathetic look.

**Rosa moved back into the Great Hall to tell Ron the great news. He had reacted just like she thought he would. "Really!" he asked excitedly. She nodded. "I have to go tell the others." The others being Seamus, Dean, and Neville. **

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Rosa, and hurried over. "Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters." Rosa looked at them and grinned. In the excitement of being in a dorm with Ron, she had forgotten even that she had made the team.**

The Twins laughed. "We wondered why you had given us the blank stare," George said.

"Guess you were entitled to it," Fred said.

**"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Rosa, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

George laughed. "Nope he was skipping." Rosa shook her head fondly at that.

**Anyway, we've got to go; Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

**"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."**

"You found it that quick?" Sirius asked in amazement. George and Fred smirked.

"We had help though," George said. Sirius glanced at them in suspicion.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"**

"Around the same time that you get on it," Rosa said smirking at him. He rolled his eyes but smiled.

**"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Rosa coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

**"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"**

**"Of course she has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm her second, who's yours?"**

"Ron!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. Ron looked down.

"I had to mum," he mumbled. "She would have looked stupid otherwise."

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. "Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Rosa looked at each other.**

**"What is a wizard's duel?" said Rosa. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"**

'This is going to go wrong,' Sirius thought.

**"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Rosa's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards.**

Rosa's eyes darkened. 'Been in a few of those,' she thought darkly. Fred and George didn't notice her dark thoughts and smirked at Ron.

"Real wizards Ron," George started.

"What do you call yourself then," Fred finished. Ron scowled at them.

"You know what I mean," he said.

**The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

**"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"**

**"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.**

"That would work," Sirius commented. McGonagall sent him a glare.

**"Excuse me." They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.**

**"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. Hermione ignored him and spoke to Rosa.**

Ginny smirked. "Doesn't seem like much has changed," she said. Hermione and Ron glared at him.

**"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —"**

**"Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

**"— and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."**

**"And it's really none of your business," said rosa.**

**"Good-bye," said Ron. **

"How did you three become friends?" Bill asked. The trio shared a secretive smirk.

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day,**

There were a few in the room that seemed to disagree.

**Rosa thought, as she lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). **

"I had been moved to the boy's dorm right away," Rosa explained.

**Ron had spent all evening giving her advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them." She was concentrating on that now. **

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Rosa felt she was pushing her luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was her big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. She couldn't miss it.**

Sirius, Tonks, and Remus were all thinking the same thing. 'He hadn't showed up.'

**"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go." They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. **

**They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from behind them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Rosa." A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.**

**"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

**"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."**

Hermione groaned and put her head in her hands. "Now I understand why you thought I was annoying." Rosa sent her a small smile.

"You were just nervous," she said.

**Rosa couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

Rosa sent Hermione an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she apologized.

"It's alright," Hermione said smiling.

** Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

"There's the animal reference again," Neville said smirking at Rosa. She scowled at him.

** "Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

**"Go away."**

**"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —" But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

"I hated it when she did that," Sirius stated. "Bloody annoying." Mrs. Weasley glared at him for his language.

**"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

**"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go; we're going to be late." They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.**

**"I'm coming with you," she said.**

**"You are not."**

**"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

"I don't think that would have worked," Remus said to Hermione. Mione blushed again.

**"You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly.**

**"Shut up, both of you!" said Rosa sharply. "I heard something." It was a sort of snuffling.**

**"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville.**

Neville blushed.

**He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer. "Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours; I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."**

Mrs. Weasley glanced over at him and sent him a look that said 'you poor boy.' McGonagall just shook her head fondly at him.

"I remember this year's password," he mumbled.

**"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now; the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."**

**"How's your arm?" said Rosa.**

"Such a sweet girl," Mrs. Weasley said. Rosa blushed. Theo glanced over at her and thought that she was cute when she blushed.

**"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."**

Rosa and the others looked at him in confusion. "Then where did you go," she asked.

"I went to help Professor Sprout with some plants." She nodded.

**"Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —"**

**"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already." Rosa raised her eyebrow at him. She didn't understand why people were afraid of him.**

The others in the room looked at her like she was crazy. "He's nice to me," she said.

** Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.**

**"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."**

"That's my specialty," Ginny said with a smirk. The others shivered.

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies,**

"I was not," hissed Hermione.

** but Rosa hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Rosa expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.**

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Rosa took out her wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once.**

Mad Eye nodded in approvingly. "Constant vigilance," he said.

**The minutes crept by. "He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.**

"Or maybe he set you up," Blaise said. Ron scowled at him knowing that's exactly what happened.

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Rosa had only just raised her wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy.**

**"Sniff  
around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."**

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Rosa waved madly at the other three to follow her as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

**"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."**

A thought came to Rosa. "Professor will we be punished for anything you find out that we've done?" she asked. They've done plenty of things that would keep them in detention for the rest of their time at Hogwarts.

"No you won't be punished for future or past actions," McGonagall said. "No matter how bad they are." The trio let out a relieved sigh.

**"This way!" Rosa mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Rosa around the waist,**

"Hands off my goddaughter Longbottom," Sirius teased. Neville pretended to be sad.

"But she's just to pretty!" he exclaimed. "I can't help myself." Theo curled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. Rosa blushed and shook her head. Blaise noticed his friend's anger and sent him a pointed look.

Remus also noticed the boy's and smirked to himself.

"Are we going to have to talk to you," Fred said jokingly. Everyone laughed.

**And the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor. **

"Into?" George asked raising his eyebrows suggestively. Rosa scowled at him while Neville blushed.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle. "RUN!" Rosa yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Rosa in the lead,**

"Rosa really is fast," Ron said. "Like a rocket." Rosa smirked at him.

"Just years of practice," she said. The adults and her friends frowned.

**without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

**"I think we've lost him," Rosa panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping her forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

**"I —told — you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."**

"Probably not the best time to be saying I told you so," Sirius said.

**"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

**"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Rosa. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." Rosa thought she was probably right, but she wasn't going to tell her that.**

Hermione smirked.

**"Let's go." It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. It was Peeves.**

**He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight. "Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out." Peeves cackled. **

**"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

"It really doesn't matter if he likes you," Rosa started. "He'll still try to get you in trouble." She shook her head fondly.

**"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

**"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

**"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves**

"That wasn't the best move," Remus muttered.

**this was a big mistake. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.**

**"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"**

"Who's the pessimist now," Rosa said teasingly.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts. "Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Rosa's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!" The lock clicked and the door swung open — they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

**"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."**

**"Say 'please.'"**

**"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

**"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves**

"It seems to be a good thing that he likes you," Remus said. "It doesn't look like he'll tell on you."

**in his annoying singsong voice. "All right —please."**

**"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!"**

"Ah I love Peeves," Sirius said.

**And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage. "He thinks this door is locked," Rosa whispered. "I think we'll be okay — get off, Neville!"**

Sirius fake glared at Neville. His eyes were sparkling with amusement. "What did I say about touching my goddaughter," he faked growled.

"I'm sorry!" Neville said in mock fright. "I just can't help myself." Theo sat stiff again and scowled to himself.

**For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Rosa's bathrobe for the last minute. "What?" Rosa turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, she was sure she'd walked into a nightmare — this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

**They weren't in a room, as she had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.**

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

Theo restrained himself from grabbing her and paled. Sirius however had no such restraint and pulled Rosa into his arms. Rosa scowled but settled into his arms knowing there was no fighting.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Rosa knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.**

**Rosa groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, she'd take Filch.**

"That's a good idea," Remus said looking worriedly over at her.

**They fell backward — Rosa slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

**"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

**"Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Rosa, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs. It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

**"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."**

The twins chuckled at his comment but the adults couldn't find the humor in the subject.

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

"And you were?" Sirius asked. Mad Eye however was looking at her approvingly.

**"The floor?" Rosa suggested.**

Tonks and the twins laughed.

**"I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."**

**"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." She stood up, glaring at them.**

**"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled.**

Hermione grew red in embarrassment. "Or worse dead," Malfoy and the twins joked while laughing.

Hermione scowled at them. "Shut up," she hissed.

**Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." Ron stared after her, his mouth open.**

**"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you."**

Hermione grinned sheepishly and Rosa and Ron smiled at her. Sirius finally let her go and she moved closer to Theo away from Sirius. This brightened Theo up and he smiled slightly.

**But Hermione had given Rosa something else to think about as she climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something… What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts.** **It looked as though Rosa had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

"You are way too curious for your own good," Blaise said. Rosa grinned at him but didn't comment.

"That's the end," McGonagall said. "Who's reading next?"

"I will," Mad eye said. **"Halloween." **The trio smiled at each other.

**I am so sorry I haven't updated in forever. I haven't abandoned this story so don't worry. I got stuck but hopefully now I'll be able to update regularly again. **


	11. Halloween

Chapter Eleven

Halloween

**"Halloween," **Mad eye said. The trio smirked to each other but the teacher's faces paled. Everyone was finally going to see how the trio had become friends.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Rosa and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.**

Draco smiled sheepishly. "I had wondered how you didn't get caught," he said. Ron smirked at him and Rosa just rolled her eyes.

**Indeed, by the next morning Rosa and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one.**

Mrs. Weasley scowled to herself and secretly thought that they better not have. Sirius groaned and looked down at his goddaughter.

"You're determined to give me grey hairs early aren't you." Rosa just smiled innocently at him.

**In the meantime, Rosa filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.**

**"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

"Or both," Mad eye growled interrupting himself.

**"Or both," said Rosa. **

Mad eye nodded approvingly at her. "That's a girl," he said. "Constant vigilance." Tonks rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Saw that."

"You were supposed to," Tonks said. She stuck her tongue out at him. Mad eye grunted at the childish display but looked at her fondly.

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. **

Mrs. Weasley nodded approvingly not wanting to see any of the kids hurt.

**All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.**

Neville smirked at Rosa. "It seems my sense of self-preservation is stronger than yours." Rosa did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out at him.

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Rosa and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.**

Rosa and Ron frowned at themselves and turned to Hermione. "Sorry Mione," they said. Hermione waved them off.

"It's fine," she said. "I was a little too much back then."

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later. As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls.**

Rosa smiled brightly at the reminder of her first broom. Oh how she missed it.

"Ooohh what's that?" Sirius asked. Rosa laughed and shook her head.

"You shall see." He pouted playfully at her and smiled.

"I hate that answer," he said.

**Rosa was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of her, knocking her bacon to the floor.**

"No not the bacon!" Sirius yelled jokingly. Remus glared at him while rubbing his ear.

** They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Rosa ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:**

**_DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE._**

**_It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session._**

**_Professor McGonagall_**

Sirius and Remus both beamed at her in pride. Rosa smiled but her cheeks were tinged pink.

**Rosa had difficulty hiding her glee as she handed the note to Ron to read. "A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."**

"Well now you have," smirked Rosa. Ron's eyes had glazed over at the memory and everyone shook their heads at him.

**They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Rosa and felt it.**

Fred snorted and tried to muffle his laughter. George looked to be doing the same thing. Rosa scowled at them.

"Get your minds out of the gutter," she said.

**"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Rosa with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them." Ron couldn't resist it.**

"Of course ickle Ronniekins couldn't resist," Fred said. Ron glared at his brother.

**"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty? Ron grinned at Rosa. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."**

**"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."**

"I am really, really sorry," Draco apologized to the Weasleys. They slowly nodded accepting his apology.

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow. "Not arguing, I hope?" he squeaked.**

"Oh no," Tonks said. "Not at all."

**"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

**"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Rosa. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand, it is," said Rosa, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," she added.**

"You've got your mother's wit," Remus said with a smile.

**Rosa and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. "Well, it's true," Rosa chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…"**

Rosa sent Draco a small smile which he returned.

**"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Rosa's hand.**

Hermione blushed slightly at looked down at her hands. Draco couldn't help but think that Mione looked cute blushing.

**"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Rosa.**

**"Yes, don't stop now;" said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."**

"We really are sorry," Ron and Rosa said. Hermione rolled her eyes at them. She had already forgiven them.

"Again how did you three become friends?" George asked. The trio smirked.

"You'll find out during this chapter," Hermione said with a secretive smile.

**Rosa nudged him warningly but Hermione marched away with her nose in the air. Rosa had a lot of trouble keeping her mind on her lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where her new broomstick was lying under her bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where she'd be learning to play that night.**

"You sound so much like your father," Sirius said with a small smile.

**She bolted her dinner that evening without noticing what she was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last. "Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto a table in the common room (everyone else was still eating.)**

**Even Rosa, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.**

All the Quidditch fanatics were practically drooling over the description of the broom. Rosa smiled at the memory of her first broom.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Rosa left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. She had never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Rosa of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through,**

"They do don't they," Hermione agreed.

**Except that they were fifty feet high.**

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Rosa mounted her broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — she swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever she wanted at her lightest touch.**

Rosa smiled at the memory and Theo couldn't help but think that he loved her smile. He'd do anything to keep it on her face.

**"Hey, Potter, come down!" Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Rosa landed next to him.**

**"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant… you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, and then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."**

"Your father used to wake us up at five in the morning and made us practice five days out of the week," Sirius said. "It was torture."

"Oliver isn't much better," Fred said. "Gets us up at the crack of dawn and night practices." Rosa nodded to show it was true.

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls. "Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

**"Three Chasers," Rosa repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a football.**

**"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"**

**"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Rosa recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

"What's basketball?" asked Mr. Weasley excitedly.

"It's a muggle sport," Rosa answered. "I was actually quite good at it."

**"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.**

**"Never mind," said Rosa quickly.**

**"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper — I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

**"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Rosa, who was determined to remember it all.**

"Aw how cute," Sirius said. "You were actually trying." Rosa shot him a death glare and Sirius shrank back away from her.

**"And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" She pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

**"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this." He handed Rosa a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.**

**"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."**

**He showed Rosa two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Rosa noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

**"Stand back," Wood warned Rosa. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers. At once, the black ball raised high in the air and then pelted straight at Rosa's face. Rosa swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking her nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air — **

"You would have been a fair Beater," George observed. Sirius and Fred nodded in agreement.

**it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground. "See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludgers back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team — the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?"**

"Yep," the twins said. Mrs. Weasley glared at them.

**"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Rosa reeled off.**

**"Very good," said Wood.**

**"Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Rosa asked, hoping she sounded offhand.**

"Don't think I did a very good job," Rosa said.

"Not at Hogwarts," Sirius said answering book Rosa's question.

"Yeah I know that know Siri," Rosa said.

**"Never at Hogwarts.**

"See," Rosa said with a smirk. Sirius rolled his eyes at her but smiled.

**We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. **

"Oh yeah that would make you feel better," Theo said. Rosa smiled at him then winced at her memory of second year. He noticed and gave her a small reassuring smile.

**Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers —"**

**"— unless they crack my head open."**

"That's the way to think," Blaise said smirking. Rosa rolled her eyes at him.

**"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."**

"Didn't think Wood thought of us that way," George said fake crying. Fred sniffled and pretended to wipe a fake tear from his eye.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

"The best one," Rosa whispered. Theo and Charlie heard her and smiled.

"Yeah it is," Charlie said.

**"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins their team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win.**

"Nearly is the key word," Charlie said.

"Yeah like at the World Cup," Ginny said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

**That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep.**

"That would have been an awesome game to watch," Bill said.

"Yeah but probably not to play," Rosa said. "That would be tiring. Even though I wish I could be playing right now."

"Why?" Remus asked curiously.

"I may have been banned by Umbridge," Rosa said.

"So were we," Fred said. Rosa sent them a smile that said sorry.

"How did you get banned?" Sirius asked.

"I may have punched Draco." Sirius shook his head.

"How are you two friends now?" he asked. Rosa just shrugged and smiled over at Draco.

"Sorry for punching you Dray," Rosa said.

"It's fine," he said. "I deserved it."

**"Well, that's it any questions?" Rosa shook her head. She understood what she had to do all right; it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

"Look at you being a pessimist again," Neville joked. Rosa rolled her eyes at him.

"You'll do fine," Fred said.

"Yeah just keep your mouth open," George joked.

"Oh ha ha," Rosa said. Remus and Sirius looked confused at them. The older Weasley siblings also looked confused.

Ron just shook his head. "You'll find out soon."

**"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."**

**He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Rosa were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Rosa to catch. Rosa didn't miss a single one,**

"I wasn't even able to do that," Charlie said in awe. "I missed two." Rosa just shrugged and blushed slightly.

**and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.**

**"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."**

"Yeah how dare you do that!" George said accusingly. His smile betrayed his true feelings on it.

"Oh shut it George," Charlie grumbled.

**Perhaps it was because she was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all her homework, but Rosa could hardly believe it when she realized that she'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had.**

Everyone scowled at the mention of the Dursleys.

**Her lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.**

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Rosa's partner was Seamus Finnegan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch her eye).**

"Oi," Neville joked faking being offended. Rosa's eyes grew wide.

"I'm sorry Neville that's not what I meant." Neville chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm just joking Rosa," he said. "No hard feelings." Theo however didn't like the fact that Seamus was her partner. He knew the boy had a crush on her and didn't like it one bit.

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Rosa's broomstick had arrived. She didn't even say goodnight to Rosa like she did every night.**

"Sorry Ro," Hermione said. Rosa just rolled her eyes.

"It's fine," she said.

**"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

"That doesn't really work," the twins and Sirius said at the same time.

"Do we even want to know how you know that?" Bill asked. They just shrugged.

**Rosa curious to if she could do it whispered "Wingardium Leviosa" her feather began to float! An inch from the desk,**

Hermione glared at her. Rosa sent her a sheepish grin.

**looked around to see if anyone had seen and quickly lowered it again. **

McGonagall glared at the girl. "Sorry it was a hard habit to break," Rosa said.

"You did break it thought right?" Sirius asked. Rosa nodded.

"Of course," she said. "By the end of first year I had broken it."

**Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Rosa had to put it out with her hat.**

Everyone laughed.

** Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**

**"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

**"You're saying it wrong," Rosa heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

**"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

"Never challenge Hermione to do something," he said. Hermione smiled slightly at that.

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

**"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!" Rosa smiled at Hermione when she wasn't looking, glad someone else could do it.**

Mione still shook her head at Rosa. "That should have been you," she said. Rosa just shrugged.

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Rosa as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."**

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley scolded. Sirius just shook his head. He honestly had no idea how those three had become friends. It just didn't seem possible from the way they acted.

**Someone knocked into Rosa as they hurried past her. It was Hermione. Rosa caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears. "I think she heard you."**

**"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."**

"Ron!" his mother yelled again. Ron hung his head.

"I know," he mumbled. "Sorry."

**"Don't be mean Ron," said Rosa, wondering if she could go after her, but she didn't know whether she would want Bella's presence.**

"I probably would have told you to go away," Hermione said.

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Rosa and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

"Sorry," they both said. Hermione shook her head.

"It's alright guys," she said. "You really don't have to apologize for everything you've done."

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Rosa was just helping herself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew**

"I have a bad feeling about that turban," Remus said. Rosa thought that his instincts were right. She touched her neck again and rubbed it. Theo looked over at her worriedly.

**and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."**

"What is a troll doing in Hogwarts?" Sirius asked looking pale.

** He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

"Some defense teacher," Remus muttered.

**There was uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence. "Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" Percy was in his element.**

"Of course he was," Fred said with a smirk. Percy went red in the face.

**"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders!**

"Really Percy," Charlie said. Percy went even redder in the face if that was possible.

**Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

**"How could a troll get in?" Rosa asked as they climbed the stairs.**

"That's what I'd like to know," Sirius muttered. Remus nodded his head in agreement.

**"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

"Peeves would never do that," Sirius said.

"Even he knows where to draw the line," Remus said.

** They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Rosa suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.**

**"I've just thought — Hermione."**

"Oh goodness," Mrs. Weasley said. "She doesn't know about the troll." Hermione smirked at her two friends.

"Finally you remember me." The smile on her face told them she wasn't mad and they smiled back at her.

"It wouldn't be too much to ask to say that you guys went to go find a teacher is it?" Sirius asked.

"Well we didn't go find a teacher if that's what you're asking," Rosa said. He groaned and muttered something about early grey hairs.

**"What about her?"**

"Really Weasley," Draco said. Ron just glared at him.

**"She doesn't know about the troll." Ron bit his lip.**

**"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us." Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

**"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Rosa behind a large stone griffin.**

"Very forward of you Ron," Sirius said with a smirk and a playful glint in his eye. Both Rosa and Ron went green at the idea.

"That's gross," they said.

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.**

Sirius looked at him with mistrust. "What were you doing?"

"My job," sneered Snape.

**"What's he doing?" Rosa whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

Everyone turned to him questioningly besides the ones who already knew. Severus just ignored them keeping his eyes fixed at the book.

**"Search me." Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.**

**"He's heading for the third floor," Rosa said, but Ron held up his hand.**

**"Can you smell something?" Rosa sniffed and a foul stench reached her nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.**

Sirius paled and grabbed Rosa's hand in a death grip. Rosa rolled her eyes but didn't try to get away. Theo next to her stiffened but she didn't notice.

"The troll," Luna said.

**And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet.**

"An ugly bugger," Tonks said. She had gone up against a troll for her training and knew how horrible they looked.

**The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, and then slouched slowly into the room.**

**"The key's in the lock," Rosa muttered. "We could lock it in."**

"That's convenient," Charlie said.

**"Good idea," said Ron nervously. They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Rosa managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

"You locked it in with me!" Hermione yelled.

"We're sorry," Ron said.

"Who would have guessed that was the bathroom you were in," Rosa said.

"I blame Rosa's luck," she sniffed.

**"Yes!" Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

**"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

**"It's the girls' bathroom!" Rosa gasped.**

**"Hermione!" they said together.**

"What are the odds that you went to go get a teacher now?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"She would have been dead if we went to go get a teacher," Ron said.

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Rosa pulled the door open and they ran inside.**

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint.**

"You would be to if a troll was about to clobber you to death," Hermione defended. Rosa watched as Draco grabbed her hand. Hermione looked shocked at first but squeezed his hand in reassurance.

**The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. "Confuse it!" Rosa said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, she threw it as hard as she could against the wall.**

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Rosa. It hesitated, and then made for her instead, lifting its club as it went.**

Rosa felt Sirius tighten his grip on her hand. She sighed. It had been four years ago. She was fine. Theo kept sending her worried glances. Like he was trying to reassure himself that she was still there.

**Oi, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead,**

Ron's family stiffened. Mrs. Weasley made a move to go pull him into a hug but Bill had beaten her. He dragged a reluctant Ron over to sit between him and Charlie.

"I'm fine," he grumbled.

"Humor me," Bill said.

**giving Rosa time to run around it. "Come on, run, run!" Rosa yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

"This is no time to freeze," Draco hissed to Hermione in worry. Hermione rolled her eyes at the blond boy.

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

Mrs. Weasley looked over at Ron muttering to herself that he was fine. Bill's grip on Ron's arm tightened.

**Rosa then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:**

"Of course you did," moaned Sirius who pulled her closer. Theo gritted his teeth with worry.

**She took a great running jump and managed to fasten her arms around the troll's neck from behind.**

Sirius paled and began to look like a ghost. Tonks turned to look at Rosa curiously.

"Earlier back when you were trying to get your letter is this what you guys meant?" she asked. Sirius stiffened.

"Rosa this better not have been what you guys were laughing about," he said.

"Compared to other things we've done this is nothing," Rosa said. This was the wrong thing to say because Sirius looked like he was having a heart attack. Theo itched to grab her hand.

Just to have some reassurance that she was really here and not just seeing things.

**The troll couldn't feel Rosa hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Rosa's wand had still been in her hand when she'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"Eww," everyone said.

"I hope you got that cleaned," Charlie said. Rosa nodded.

"Percy helped me," she said.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Rosa clinging on for dear life; the troll ripped her off by the ankle dangling her in mid-air.**

Sirius began to curse under his breath and Theo stared wide eyed at Rosa.

**Do something!" yelled Rosa, lifting her body up to miss the blow with the club.**

Rosa glanced over next to her at Theo. She saw how pale and scared he looked. Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the thought that he could be worried about her. She has had a crush on him since the Ball in fourth year.

He glanced over at her with wide eyes and she gave him a reassuring smile. Reaching over she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Theo gripped her hand in his and had no plans on letting it go any time soon. Hope lit up inside of him at the thought that she could like him back.

**What?" yelled Ron panicked. **

**"Anything!" she said avoiding another blow.**

Both grips tightened on her hands. The hand Sirius held felt like it would fall off at any time. She winced slightly but made no move to pry his hand from hers.

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

"You can't even do that spell," Fred said in worry. Ron shrugged.

"Fear can be a great motivator," he simply said.

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand,** **rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot, dropping Rosa to the floor and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

Everyone let out a breath of relief. Sirius's grip loosened and he let go now that the danger was pass. Rosa silently hoped that Theo wouldn't let go and when he didn't she smiled slightly to herself. It felt right holding his hand.

**Rosa got to her feet. She was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done. It was Hermione who spoke first.**

**"Is it — dead?"**

**"I don't think so," said Rosa, "I think it's just been knocked out." She bent down and pulled her wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue.**

"Ugh that's gross," Neville said.

"Try having it on your wand," Rosa grimaced. Neville spotted Rosa holding Theo's hand and smirked. Blaise also had noticed it and smiled. He hoped they got together soon because his friend deserved happiness.

**"Urgh — troll boogers." She wiped it on the troll's trousers.**

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

"The faker," Rosa hissed. Theo looked over at her with worry. She caught his look and shook her head.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Rosa. Rosa had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.**

"Oh dear," the twins said.

"That's not good," Remus said.

"You really made her mad," Sirius finished.

**Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Rosa's mind. "What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Rosa looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"**

**Snape gave Rosa a swift, piercing look. Rosa looked at the floor. She wished Ron would put his wand down. Then a small voice came out of the shadows.**

**"Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."**

"You lied to a professor!" Fred and George said. "We might corrupt you yet."

"You should have told the truth," McGonagall said. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. "You would have gotten out of trouble."

"Sorry professor," the trio said.

**"Miss Granger!" Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

**"I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them."**

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? "If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Rosa stuck her wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." Rosa and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.**

"You didn't succeed," Severus said. Rosa shrugged.

"You didn't question it," she said.

**"Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Rosa was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

"That would be odd," Neville said. Snape sneered at him.

**"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." Hermione left.**

**Professor McGonagall turned to Rosa and Ron. "Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

**"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

McGonagall frowned at him. "You certainly should not have," she said. Ron blushed.

**"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

**"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

**"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Rosa reminded him.**

"She's got a point ickle Ronniekins," George said. Theo began to move his hand and for a second Rosa thought he was going to let go. Relief flooded her when he only laced their fingers together.

Then as soon as she realized what he did the butterflies assaulted her stomach again.

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Pig snout," they said and entered.**

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend.**

"You can't make friends the normal way can you," Sirius said.

"Where's the fun in that," teased Rosa. He groaned at her.

**There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

"Defiantly not normal," Bill muttered.

"No one said we were," Hermione said.

"Wonder what normal is," joked Ron.

"Is that the end of the chapter?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Mad eye nodded. "Well then I'm going to go make dinner.

"We'll stop for a break," Dumbledore announced. Theo turned to Rosa. There was something he wanted to tell her.

"Can we talk?" he asked her. She blinked and looked up at him before nodding. He pulled her up to her feet before leading her to her bedroom so they could talk in private.

Blaise watched them go with a smirk covering his features. Then his attention drifted over toward where Luna sat and he walked over to talk to her.

Theo was slightly nervous about what he was about to say. He had liked her since the end of third year and was finally going to do something about it. Rosa noticed the nervous look in his eye and squeezed his hand. She was curious about what he needed to say.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. He shook his head before taking a deep breath.

"No. I just need to tell you something but I don't know how to say it." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Go on say it," she said comfortingly. It couldn't be that bad she thought. He let go of her hand to rub at his face.

"Oh fuck it," he said. She was slightly startled at his words but quickly forgot about them when his lips met hers. The kiss was passionate and showed his feelings toward her. She eagerly kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

When they pulled back to breath she smiled up at him. "I like you Rosa," Theo said. "Really, really like you." She smiled widely at him.

"I feel the same," she said. He grinned and leaned down to kiss her again. This time the kiss was gentle. When they pulled back again Rosa smiled up at him. "Does this mean I'm your girlfriend now?"

"Only if you want to be," he said. She answered him with another kiss.

**Here's the long awaited eleventh chapter. And finally their together! Did it live up to your expectations? **

**I also have an announcement. I will start writing one shots for this story. It'll be background stories of the characters or just stuff I couldn't fit into the readings. Like side stories. I'll tell you guys when I begin to post them. **

**Don't forget to review!**


	12. Quidditch

Chapter Twelve

Quidditch

The new couple showed up at lunch hand in hand. Several people glanced between them but Sirius and Remus were already planning on having a talk with Theo. After all they had to make sure their little girl was in good hands. Blaise gave Theo a knowing look before turning back to Luna.

Rosa drug Theo over to the last two empty seats by Draco. He smirked at them. "Finally together eh," he said. Rosa nodded with a smile on her face. "About time."

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked. Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"I may not have been your friend until now Ro but even I knew you two liked each other. The only people blind to the others feelings were you two." He gave them his smirk. "Do I get to tease you two now?"

"Only if I get to tease you," Rosa said and nodded her head toward Hermione. Draco groaned and laid his head on the table.

"I don't like her," came his muffled answer. Theo looked down at him in amusement.

"Oh sure you don't," Theo chuckled.

"So when are you going to stop denying it and ask her out?" Blaise asked who was on Theo's other side. Draco raised his head from the table to stare at the three offending people.

"When are you going to ask Luna out?" Draco shot back. Blaise calmly shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm working on it," he simply said.

"She likes you too," comforted Rosa. Draco didn't seem to by this.

"I highly doubt she would like the guy that tortured her and her friends for years," he said guiltily.

"Oh get over that Draco," Rosa said. "We all have. Your my friend now just like your Hermione's friend. I'm not sure about Ron but he's just stubborn. He'll come around."

"I'm not asking her out," Draco stated and then flicked a pea at her. Rosa dodged it and shrugged.

"Fine be miserable." The rest of lunch went by fairly quiet. Everyone had their minds on what was going to happen next and what new thing they would learn. When it was time to start reading again Rosa sat snuggled up to Theo on the couch. She noticed Draco sitting next to Mione again and Luna moved to sit by Blaise which had Sirius and Remus moving over to another couch.

All in all she was quite happy with the arrangement. Tonks grabbed the book on her way to sit over next to Remus.

"Alright here's the next chapter," she said. **"Quidditch." **A few people stiffened at the mention of Rosa's first game. Theo wrapped his arm more securely around her waist and Rosa couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Hermione paled when she thought of what she did. She was sure she'd get in trouble but hopefully since it was in Rosa's point of view no one would find out.

**As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver skin boots.**

Many of the people smiled fondly.

**The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Rosa would be playing in her first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.**

**If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.**

The Gryffindor's in the room cheered.

**Hardly anyone had seen Rosa play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Rosa should be kept, well, secret. But the news that she was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow,**

"Nothing ever stays a secret at Hogwarts," Charlie said. The trio shared a secretive look and everyone in the room look at them in suspicion.

"What do you know," Bill asked. Neither one said a thing but kept smirking.

**And Rosa didn't know which was worse — people telling her she'd be brilliant or people telling her they'd be running around underneath her holding a mattress.**

"I probably could have done with the mattress," Rosa mused. Sirius groaned and shook his head at her.

"You'll be the death of me," he said.

**It was really lucky that Rosa now had Hermione as a friend. She didn't know how she'd have gotten through all her homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. Hermione had also lent her Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

"The only book worth reading," Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes.

"It's the only book you and James willingly read," he said.

**that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.**

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Rosa and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it.**

Hermione huffed and glared at Rosa. Rosa had the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry Mione," she muttered.

**The day before Rosa's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.**

"That is very advanced magic Miss. Potter," McGonagall said. Ron spoke up before she could.

"Ro is able to do a lot of advanced magic," he said. Rosa groaned and hid her face in Theo's chest.

"In third year she was able to produce a corporal Patronus," Remus stated proudly. She could feel everybody's stare and she blushed while keeping her face hidden. Theo chuckled and held her closer.

**They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Rosa noticed at once that Snape was limping. Rosa, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed.**

"It is actually," McGonagall said. "As long as it stays in the jar there's no problem."

**Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway. "What's that you've got there, Potter?"**

**It was Quidditch through the Ages. Rosa showed him. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."**

"That's not a rule Severus," McGonagall said. Snape didn't say anything he just nodded not wanting to fight with his colleague.

**"He's just made that rule up," Rosa muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"**

**"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.**

Snape glared at the red head and Ron met his gaze with a fake innocent look.

**"That's not nice Ron," said Rosa. **

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Rosa, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Rosa and Ron's Charms homework for them. (Rosa really didn't need it but allowed for Hermione to check over it anyway.)**

** She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.**

Hermione rolled her eyes at her two best friends.

** Rosa was trying to break the failing on purpose but it was hard. **

The adult frowned as they thought about why she was failing on purpose. Sirius was determined on not having her going back to that place.

**Rosa felt restless. She wanted Quidditch through the Ages back, to take her mind off her nerves about tomorrow. Why should she be afraid of Snape?**

"Yeah why should you be afraid of Snape," Sirius said jokingly. Rosa rolled her eyes.

**Getting up, she told Ron and Hermione she was going to ask Snape if she could have it. "Better you than me," they said together, but Rosa had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.**

"Good theory," Mad eye said approvingly.

**She made her way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. She pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met her eyes.**

**Snape and Filch were inside, alone.**

"Ahh!" yelled Fred.

"The mental images!" gasped George. Both Rosa and Snape frowned at the twins.

"Oh get your mind out of the gutter," she scowled. The twins smirked back at her.

**Snape was holding his robes above his knees.**

Now even Ron, Neville, Tonks, and Sirius were pulling faces. Rosa's scowl deepened.

**One of his legs was bloody and mangled.**

Everyone that had their minds in the gutter smiled sheepishly. "Oh."

"Yeah oh," Rosa said.

**Filch was handing Snape bandages. "Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

**Rosa tried to shut the door quietly, but — "POTTER!"**

"Ooohh that won't be good," Bill said.

**Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Rosa gulped. "I just wondered if I could have my book back."**

**"GET OUT! OUT! "Rosa left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. She sprinted back upstairs.**

**"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Rosa joined them. "What's the matter?" In a low whisper, Rosa told them what she'd seen.**

**"You know what this means?" she finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

"Looks like you owe someone a broomstick," joked Ron.

"You never took the bet," Rosa said while sticking her tongue out at him.

**Hermione's eyes were wide. "No — he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."**

Some of the people in the room glanced at Snape. They were all wondering the same thing. Was Snape really good? Could he be trusted?

Rosa had no doubt in her mind now that he could be trusted. Dumbledore trusted him and so far Snape hadn't really given her a reason to distrust him. Well besides the hatred he seems to have for her but he's saved her life enough times that she could look the other way.

Doesn't mean she had to exactly like him though.

**"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Rosa. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"**

**Rosa went to bed with her head buzzing with the same question. Lavender was snoring loudly, but Rosa couldn't sleep. She tried to empty her mind — she needed to sleep, she had to, she had her first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Rosa had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match."**

**"You've got to eat some breakfast."**

**"I don't want anything."**

**"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.**

**"I'm not hungry."**

"You really should eat something pup," Sirius said.

"That was four years ago Siri," Rosa said. Sirius shrugged.

**Rosa felt terrible. In an hour's time she'd be walking onto the field. "Rosa, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnegan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."**

"That's true," Sirius said with a frown.

"Probably not the most comforting thing to say," Blaise said.

**"Thanks, Seamus," said Rosa, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

"That made me feel even worse," Rosa said.

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.**

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Rosa, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined.**

At the mention of Scabbers many of the occupants of the room scowled or in Sirius and Remus's case growled. The ones who were clueless looked curiously at them.

**It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours.**

"That is very good Miss. Granger," McGonagall said. "I believe that's a second year spell." Hermione blush but nodded.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Rosa and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green). Wood cleared his throat for silence.**

**"Okay, men," he said.**

**"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.**

The twins and Rosa laughed. "That happened pretty much every match," Rosa said in amusement.

**"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."**

**"The big one," said Fred.**

**"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**

**"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Rosa, "we were on the team last year."**

The twins and Rosa smiled.

**"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."**

"Or else what?" Sirius asked. Rosa shrugged.

"He never came through with it as far as I know," Rosa said. She turned to the twins and they shrugged also.

**"Nervous Rosa?" he asked suddenly quietly.**

**"A little," she admitted biting her lip, **

**"Everyone's nervous they're first game." Wood said clumping her shoulder gently. **

**"How did yours go?" she asked him curiously. **

**"Can't really remember, took a bludger to the head ten minutes in, and woke up a week later." He said, Bella stared at him her eyes wide with horror.**

"That's comforting," Theo said sarcastically.

"Who tells an eleven year old that?" Tonks asked. The twins and Rosa exchanged glances.

"Oliver," they said together.

**"Oliver," Fred snapped. **

**"Ignore him Rosa," George said winking. "We won't let the nasty bludger hurt you,"**

"Big brothers already," Rosa said fondly. The twins smiled over at her.

"We couldn't let you go out scared," Fred said.

"Yeah especially with those big doe like eyes staring at you in fear," snickered George. Rosa rolled her eyes and glared at them. Theo smiled and kissed the top of her head. Rosa stopped glaring to smile up at him.

**Rosa knew they weren't teasing her, she swallowed and nodded. "Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." Rosa followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping her knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.**

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. "Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her.**

"That's wishful thinking," Sirius said. "Games between Gryffindor and Slytherin are never fair." Everyone agreed silently.

**Rosa noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. **

Rosa smiled to herself. Marcus was now one of her good friends and she hoped he came to the readings.

**Out of the corner of her eye she saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. Her heart skipped. She felt braver.**

"Glad we could help," Neville, Hermione, and Ron said cheerfully.

**"Mount your brooms, please." Rosa clambered onto her Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.**

**"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —"**

"I love Lee's commentary," George said.

"Almost as good as the game," Fred said. Sirius and Remus smiled.

"Remus was funnier," Sirius said.

"I'm the reason why Minerva sits next to the commenter," Remus said.

**'Almost as good as the game,' said George. McGonagall lips were thin.**

**"JORDAN!"**

**"Sorry, Professor."**

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

**"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to sc— no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindor's take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which —**

The twins pretended to be distraught and cry. "Even our own friend can't tell us apart," they cried. Everyone ignored them having been use to their antics.

**nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"**

The Gryffindor's in the room smiled.

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. "Budge up there, move along."**

**"Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.**

"Look like it's not just from my point of view," Rosa said. Hermione paled and she sent a fleeting look over toward Snape. Draco noticed her paleness and glanced over at her in worry.

**"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd.**

"Never is," Bill said.

** No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"**

**"Nope," said Ron. "Rosa hasn't had much to do yet."**

**"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," **

Everyone nodded in agreement at Hagrid's statement. It wouldn't do well if someone took out their Seeker.

**said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Rosa. Way up above them, Rosa was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of her and Wood's game plan.**

**"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."**

Once again everyone nodded at the plan.

"Still not very comforting," Theo said. "Don't be attacked before you have to be indeed." Rosa smiled up at him and gave him a quick kiss.

**When Angelina had scored, Rosa had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off her feelings. Now she was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once she caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches,**

"Sorry," they said together.

"We forgot to take them off," said Fred.

**and once a Bludger decided to come pelting her way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Rosa dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.**

"You're just a danger magnet," teased Blaise. Rosa shrugged.

"Trouble just finds me," she said simply.

**"All right there, Rosa?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.**

**"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"**

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle; too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.**

"Idiot," Sirius muttered. "Need to pay attention to the game and leave the snitch to the seeker."

**Rosa saw it. In a great rush of excitement she dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.**

Sirius shook his head again along with a few others.

**Rosa was faster than Higgs — she could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — she put on an extra spurt of speed —**

**WHAM!**

Sirius looked over at his goddaughter in worry.

** A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindor's below — Marcus Flint had blocked Rosa on purpose, and Rosa's broom spun off course, Rosa holding on for dear life.**

"How did you two become friends?" Draco asked. Rosa shrugged.

"We just did," she said.

"It doesn't matter if their friends or not during Quidditch," Ron said. "Those two seem to forget about being friends and turn into enemies and then at the end of the game their all buddy, buddy again no matter who won." Rosa shrugged again.

"That's just the way we are," she stated simply.

**"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindor's. Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.**

"Of course," muttered Charlie.

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

**"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.**

**"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In football you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"**

Ron shook his head again at the idea. The others just smiled fondly at the boy.

**"But this isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him. Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.**

**"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Rosa outta the air."**

A few people seemed to think about it but the fanatics shook their heads. It just wouldn't be Quidditch they thought.

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. "So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"**

**"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.**

**"I mean, after that open and revolting foul…"**

"This kid is good," Sirius laughed. McGonagall however just shook her head.

**"Jordan, I'm warning you—"**

**"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure,**

Sirius laughed again looking amused.

** so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."**

**It was as Rosa dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past her head that it happened. Her broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. **

Sirius and Remus paled looking over at their goddaughter/'niece'.

**For a split second, she thought she was going to fall. She gripped the broom tightly with both her hands and knees. She'd never felt anything like that.**

**It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck her off.**

"What the hell is happening?" Sirius asked with worry tinted his voice. Theo had tightened his grip around her as he remembered that day. He could have easily lost her before he got her.

Rosa shook her head in annoyance. "It wasn't nearly as high as when the Dementors made me drop." Sirius paled ever more.

**But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off.**

"Not usually no," Luna said dreamily.

** Rosa tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts — she had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out — and then she realized that her broom was completely out of her control. She couldn't turn it. She couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated her.**

Sirius reached over to grab her hand.

**Lee was still commentating. "Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — **

This eased some of the tension as people lightly chuckled.

**only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no…"**

**Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Rosa's broom was behaving strangely.**

"And why not?" growled out Remus.

** It was carrying her slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went. "Dunno what Rosa thinks she's doing," Hagrid mumbled.**

"I wasn't doing it purposely," Rosa grumbled.

** He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say she'd lost control of his broom… but she can't have…"**

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Rosa all over the stands. Her broom had started to roll over and over, with her only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Rosa's broom had given a wild jerk and Rosa swung off it.**

Sirius abandoned holding her hand and snatched her away from Theo to pull her onto his lap. Rosa sent Theo a help me look but he just shrugged. She scowled slightly but sat still.

**She was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

"I'm fine," Rosa whispered to Sirius. "I'm right here." This seemed to calm him down slightly and Rosa sighed.

**"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked her?" Seamus whispered.**

**"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."**

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Rosa, she started looking frantically at the crowd.**

**"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, grey-faced.**

"I would think it was obvious," Draco said. "She's looking for whoever was casting the spell." Hermione beamed at him and Draco gave a small smile.

**"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look." **

Snape scowled at this.

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Rosa and was muttering nonstop under his breath.**

**"He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

"Or doing the counter curse," Tonks said. Hermione shrugged.

"I hadn't read that far," she said sheepishly.

**"What should we do?"**

**"Leave it to me."**

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked. Snape having figured out something glared at Hermione. Mione avoided his gaze and kept her own eyes glued to Tonks.

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Rosa. Her broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for her to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Rosa safely onto one of their brooms,**

"Thanks for trying," Rosa said with a small smile. The twins nodded.

"No problem lil sis," they said. Remus sighed and Mr. Weasley clapped his back.

"It did say try," he said sadly.

**but it was no good – every time they got near her, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath her, obviously hoping to catch her if she fell.**

"Well at least that's something," Sirius muttered.

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

"Cheating git," Bill and Charlie said together. Rosa glared at them from her place on Sirius's lap.

"Hey!" she said. "Don't talk like that about my friend." They looked sheepish at her. Then something dawned on Rosa. "Oliver actually let those through?" The twins looked shocked also at the revelation.

"Wow Rosa you are able to do the impossible," George said.

**"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.**

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.**

Hermione paled and Rosa gave her a comforting smile. "I doubt he would remember Mione," she said. The others looked terribly confused. Only a few seemed to know what the two were worrying about.

"What do you mean?" Neville asked.

"You'll see," was all Hermione said.

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.**

Once again Snape glared at Hermione. He didn't appreciate being set on fire. She gave Snape an apologetic smile. "Sorry?" she said unsurely. He sighed and nodded. He understood why she did it but didn't mean he had to like it.

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened.**

"I do now," he grumbled.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Rosa was suddenly able to clamber back on to her broom.**

**"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.**

Neville went a deep red and Sirius smirked at him. "Afraid your crush was going to get hurt," he said teasingly. Neville quickly got a hold of himself and smirked.

"Of course." Rosa rolled her eyes at the two and Sirius allowed her to crawl away. She moved herself back by Theo who wrapped an arm back around her waist. Theo glared playfully at Neville.

"Ooh do I have competition," he said jokingly. Rosa sat up so she could whisper into his ear.

"Never," she said quietly so only he could hear. He smiled and kissed her passionately. Sirius coughed loudly and the couple pulled away from each other. Rosa motioned for Tonks, who was smiling brightly at the couple, to keep reading.

**Rosa was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw her clap her hand to her mouth as though she was about to be sick —**

"What now?" whined Sirius. He was defiantly going to get grey hairs by the end of this.

"Nothing bad Siri," Rosa assured him.

**she hit the field on all fours — coughed — and something gold fell into her hand.**

"You caught the snitch in your mouth," Charlie said in amusement. Rosa nodded. "Never seen that happen before."

**"I've got the Snitch!" she shouted, waving it above her head, and the game ended in complete confusion.**

**"She didn't catch it, she nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later,**

"Still don't understand how your friends," Ron muttered.

** but it made no difference — Rosa hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Rosa heard none of this, though.**

"And why not?" Sirius asked.

"I was a tad bit more worried about who was trying to kill me," Rosa said.

**She was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione. "It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."**

Everyone turned to look at Snape again. He sneered at them. 'Didn't they have anything better to do,' he thought.

"I wasn't trying to hurt the girl," Snape growled.

"Of course you weren't Severus," Dumbledore said. There were still a few skeptics in the room though.

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" Rosa, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Rosa decided on the truth.**

**"I found out something about him," she told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." Hagrid dropped the teapot.**

**"How do you know about Fluffy?"**

"Fluffy?" Bill asked.

"It's always the innocent named ones you have to worry about," Ron stated.

"Who in their right mind would name a three headed dog Fluffy?" Percy asked.

"Hagrid," the trio stated.

**he said. "Fluffy?"**

**"Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —"**

**"Yes?" said Rosa eagerly.**

**"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."**

**"But Snape's trying to steal it."**

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher; he'd do nothin' of the sort."**

**"So why did he just try and kill Rosa?" cried Hermione. The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.**

**"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid; I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"**

"Or was doing the counter spell," Tonks said again. Hermione's cheeks tinted red once more.

**"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Rosa's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —"**

**"Aha!" said Rosa, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" Hagrid looked furious with himself.**

"As he should be," sniffed McGonagall.

"Who's reading next?" Tonks asked. Ron raised his hand. Tonks handed it over and Ron paled when he read the chapters title. He mouthed a 'Sorry' to Rosa who looked confused by why he was doing it.

**Here's the next chapter. What do you guys think? Hope you enjoyed it. Don't be shy about clicking that review button. I'm almost died of happiness when I woke up this morning and saw that I had ten new reviews. **


	13. Mirror of Erised

Chapter Thirteen

Mirror of Erised

**There will be a change of what she sees in the mirror. Just warning.**

Rosa stared curiously over at Ron. He took a deep breath before reading the chapter's name. He knew Rosa wouldn't want everyone to know about this.

**"Mirror of Erised," **he said. Rosa paled and shook her head.

"No," she said. "Can we please skip this chapter?" Snape raised an eyebrow at that.

"Why should we?" he asked. She took a deep breath.

"Because it's really personal." Dumbledore shook his head.

"I'm sorry Miss. Potter," Dumbledore said. "But the rules are clear. We must read every chapter." Rosa felt like she was going to be sick but nodded. Theo noticed this and pulled her into his lap so he could comfort her.

She buried her face in his shirt and he soothingly ran his fingers through her hair and with the other hand rubbed soothing circles on her back.

**Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.**

The trio paled at this and once again everyone was confused by why. The image of Voldemort being pelted by snowballs flooded Rosa's mind and she couldn't help the snort that left her throat.

She lifted her face from Theo's chest to look at the others. "Rosa!" Hermione said. Rosa grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry I can just imagine it," she said. This didn't help with the others confusion.

**The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. No one could wait for the holidays to start.**

**While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

"I'm sorry to say there's not much we can do about that," McGonagall said. "The charms could mess with the Potions."

**"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."**

Draco winced and Hermione sent him an encouraging smile. "Like Rosa said we've forgiven you," she whispered to him.

**He was looking over at Rosa as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Rosa, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Rosa as Seeker next.**

**Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Rosa had managed to stay on her bucking broomstick.**

"It was pretty impressive," Tonks and Charlie said.

**So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Rosa about having no proper family.**

Malfoy winced again when people began to glare at him. From her seat on Theo's lap Rosa began to glare at everyone else. "He had been forgiven," Rosa said. "So stop glaring at him. I thought we weren't supposed to judge people by their actions?"

**It was true that Rosa wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Rosa had signed up at once. She didn't feel sorry for herself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas she'd ever had.**

Everyone frowned sadly at that and unknown to the others they all secretly decided that for now on Rosa would be spoiled during Christmas and her birthdays.

** Ron and his brothers were staying, too,** **because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.**

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.**

**"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked,**

Mrs. Weasley nodded approvingly at his manners.

**sticking his head through the branches. "Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."**

**"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."**

Draco hurriedly began to apologize but Mr. Weasley held up his hand. "Rosa seems to trust you and has already forgiven you for your past," he began. "I speak for my family when I say that we forgive you too."

Percy didn't seem to have forgiven him and Ron seemed a little reluctant but nodded along with the rest of his family. Draco seemed relieved by this but still apologized nonetheless.

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs. "WEASLEY!" Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.**

"You're in trouble," sang Fred. Ron rolled his eyes at him.

**"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."**

**"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking. "I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —"**

**"I hate them both," said Rosa, "Malfoy and Snape."**

Rosa frowned at her younger self. "I don't exactly hate either one of you," she corrected her younger self.

**"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat." So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.**

**"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?"**

**The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.**

"It really is beautiful," Hermione said. Everyone agreed.

**"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.**

**"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Rosa, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."**

"The library!" shouted the twins and Sirius looking horrified.

"Why would you three be in the library?" Remus asked. Mrs. Weasley looked at them in suspicion. The trio exchanged a look.

"Flamel of course," Ron said.

"Oh well then carry on," the twins said. Blaise shook his head at them.

"You three really can't help sticking yourselves can you?" Blaise asked.

"Rosa was doomed from day one," Sirius said. "She got both her parents curiosity." Rosa playfully glared at him but was secretly glad that she had something in common with her parents.

**"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.**

**"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"**

"No," said George.

"Just up to no good," Fred finished.

"Like always," Neville said with a smirk. The trio glared at the three.

**"Oh, we're not working," Rosa told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."**

**"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."**

**"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.**

**"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Rosa added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."**

"All those books," Ron moaned miserably. "All for nothing."

"I don't understand how I couldn't have remembered it sooner," Rosa said. Remus smirked at the trio. He remembered the chocolate card from earlier in the book.

**"I'm sayin' nothin', said Hagrid flatly.**

McGonagall nodded approvingly.

**"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.**

**They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book.**

**He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.**

"Not going to find it in there," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. Ron groaned again and muttered something about chocolate frogs and books.

**And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.**

**Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.**

**Rosa wandered over to the Restricted Section. She had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and she knew she'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense against the Dark Arts.**

"Don't get caught by Madame Pince," Remus said. Rosa grimaced.

**"What are you looking for, girl?"**

**"Nothing," said Rosa.**

"Oh that's not a good answer," Sirius groaned.

**Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at her. "You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!"**

**Wishing she'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Rosa left the library. She, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.**

"Not that it would have mattered," Rosa said. "We would have just gotten in trouble for being in the restricted section and asked why we were looking him up."

**Rosa waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but she wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.**

"Good luck with that," the twins said. "It's impossible." Rosa just smirked and didn't say anything.

"You mean you have?" Bill asked in awe. Rosa only nodded.

"Course I had help," she said. Sirius and Remus opened their mouths but Rosa shushed them.

"Later this chapter," she said. They nodded.

**Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined her, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch. "You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."**

**"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."**

**"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione.**

"My parents had heard of him," Hermione said. "They said he was an alchemist." Remus nodded.

"Some Muggles would know about him."

**Once the holidays had started, Ron and Rosa were having too good a time to think much about Flamel.**

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled. "I forgive you guys," she said. "It was Rosa's first actual Christmas."

**Rosa and Ron had the common room to themselves since everyone else had left for the holidays. **

The twins wiggled their eyebrows suggestively. Rosa and Ron both had disgusted looked on their faces and looked horrified.

"That's gross," they both said. "He/She is like my brother/sister." Theo sighed in relief and rested his hands in her lap.

**and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the fire eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.**

Draco playfully glared at Ron and Rosa. "That's always fun," commented Fred.

**Ron also started teaching Rosa wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.**

**Rosa played with chessmen Seamus Finnegan had lent her, and they didn't trust her at all.**

Rosa scowled.

** She wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at her, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him; we can afford to lose him."**

"It's frustrating," she said.

**On Christmas Eve, Rosa went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.**

Everyone frowned at that. Theo leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "I'm spoiling you next Christmas." Rosa moved so that she was facing him.

"You don't have to do that," she whispered back. He shook his head.

"I want to." He kissed her cheek before going back to listening to the book.

**When she woke early in the morning, however, the first thing she saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of her bed.**

**"Happy Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Rosa scrambled out of bed and pulled on her bathrobe.**

**"You, too," said Rosa. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"**

**"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, **

"Smooth," George said.

**turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Rosa's.**

Everyone turned to her. "That will change soon," Sirius said. Rosa sighed.

"Don't get me a lot," she pleaded. "I really don't need it." Sirius just shrugged and she knew he was going to spoil her and there was nothing she could do about it.

**Rosa picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Rosa, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Bella blew it — it sounded a bit like an owl.**

"That was nice of him," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I still have it," Rosa said with a fond smile.

**A second, very small parcel contained a note. We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.**

**"That's friendly," said Rosa.**

"That's friendly?" Tonks asked with a frown. Rosa just shrugged.

"It was better than what I usually got."

**Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence. "Weird!" he said, 'What a shape! This is money?"**

"Ron's turning into dad!" the twins said.

**"You can keep it," said Rosa, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle — so who sent these?"**

"Most likely us," Ginny said.

**"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mum. I told her you didn't expect any presents and — oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."**

Mrs. Weasley turned to her son and Ron went red. "Sorry mum," he said.

**Rosa had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.**

"By the way thanks Mrs. Weasley," Rosa said.

"No problem dear."

**"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."**

"Don't you like maroon?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a frown. Ron shook his head. "Then who was the one that liked maroon?"

"That would be me," Percy said. Mrs. Weasley frowned slightly at having gotten it wrong.

**That's really nice of her," said Rosa, trying the fudge, which was very tasty. Her next present also contained sweets — a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.**

"Hermione gave us the answer all along," Ron groaned.

"They usually do," Rosa said with a smirk. Hermione scowled playfully at her and leaned over to hit her arm.

**This only left one parcel. Rosa picked it up and felt it. It was very light. She unwrapped it. Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds.**

Sirius got really excited at the mention of this. "Is that it?" he asked. Rosa nodded and Sirius grinned. Everyone else in the room looked confused besides Remus, Ron, and Hermione.

**Ron gasped. "I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavour Beans he'd gotten from Hermione.**

**"If that's what I think it is — they're really rare, and really valuable."**

"What is it!?" Fred and George yelled. "The suspense!"

**"What is it?" Rosa picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.**

**"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face.**

This shocked the people in the room that hadn't known what it was.

** "I'm sure it is — try it on." Rosa threw the cloak around her shoulders and Ron gave a yell.**

**"It is! Look down!"**

**Rosa looked down at her feet, but they were gone. She dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, her reflection looked back at her, just her head suspended in midair, her body completely invisible.**

"It's weird the first time," Remus and Sirius said. The trio nodded in agreement.

**She pulled the cloak over her head and her reflection vanished completely. "There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"**

"Excited much," Bill teased.

**Rosa pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing she had never seen before were the following words: **

**_Your father left this in my possession before he died._**

**_It is time it was returned to you._**

**_Use it well._**

**_A Very Happy Christmas to you._**

"How did the enchantments last this long?" McGonagall asked. "It should have faded a long time ago." Sirius and Remus shrugged.

"It's been passed on in the Potter family for years," Remus said.

**There was no signature. Rosa stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak. "I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"**

Theo looked down at her in worry and Rosa just smiled reassuringly up at him.

**"Nothing," said Rosa. She felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to her father?**

"Yes it did," Remus said sadly.

**Before she could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in.**

"It's us!" they exclaimed loudly.

** Rosa stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. She didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

Sirius smiled at her. "Your dad did the same," he said softly.

**"Happy Christmas!"**

**"Hey, look — Rosa's got a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.**

**"Rosa's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Rosa's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

"That is not true Frederick Gideon Weasley and you know it!" Mrs. Weasley ranted. Fred flinched at his full name knowing he was in trouble. He looked at his mom sheepishly.

"Sorry mum," he said.

**"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."**

Mrs. Weasley smiled at that her earlier anger forgotten.

**"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.**

"I'm sorry Ron," Mrs. Weasley said sadly. Ron shook his head.

"Don't be mum really."

**"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge."**

Sirius burst out laughing. "Merlin you two are good," he chocked out.

**"What's all this noise?" Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.**

**"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Rosa got one."**

**"I — don't — want —" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

Percy glared at his brothers.

**"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."**

"I would have sat with you anyway," Percy mumbled.

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.**

**Rosa had never in all her life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce – and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.**

Ron's stomach growled and Mr. Weasley looked at him. "We just ate Ron," he said. Ron just shrugged.

"He's always hungry," joked Rosa.

**These fantastic party favours were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their lit, little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Rosa pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.**

Dumbledore smiled merrily at that and a few people shook their heads fondly.

**Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice.**

"What was that doing in there?" Hermione asked.

"Old wizarding tradition," Dumbledore said. "Put silver in the pudding, the one who gets it will have good luck in where they wish that year." He smiled apologetically at Percy but Percy refused to look at him.

**Rosa watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Rosa's amazement, giggled and blushed, and her top hat lopsided.**

McGonagall blushed a deep red at that.

"A bit tipsy there eh Minnie," Sirius joked. McGonagall scowled at him but didn't comment.

**When Rosa finally left the table, she was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and her own new wizard chess set.**

"I had fun with that during the summer until I got bored," she announced.

** The white mice had disappeared and Rosa had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner.**

"They do unless I get to them first," McGonagall said. "Then you all use them in Transfiguration."

**Rosa and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds.**

"Right speedy little thing she is," George said.

"Can dodge just about anything," Fred agreed. Rosa wasn't going to tell them but snowballs were practically the same size as fists. She was sure that wouldn't go over very well with the others.

**Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Rosa broke in her new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron.**

"No one's beat him since he was six," Ginny said.

"The kids a natural," Charlie said.

"That won't go to his ego," Hermione teased.

"Oi!" Rosa laughed along with the others.

**She suspected she wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help her so much.**

Percy scowled at her but Rosa just gave a small smile back. "Sorry Perce," she apologized.

"Don't call me that," he hissed. Rosa sighed and frowned. She hated how he no longer trusted or liked her. Theo saw her mood change and pulled her even closer to him if that was possible. He began to rub her back again and she rested her head on his chest.

**After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.**

The twins smiled while remembering that while Percy frowned.

**It had been Rosa's best Christmas day ever.**

They all smiled at that. Even Snape gave a twitch of the lips.

**Yet something had been nagging at the back of her mind all day. Not until she climbed into bed was she free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.**

**Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Rosa leaned over the side of her own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.**

**Her father's… this had been her father's. He had used this; she thought her father had used this.**

Sympathetic and pity looks were sent her way and she frowned slightly. She hated those looks.

**She let the material flow over her hands, smoother than silk, light as air. _Use it well_, the note had said. She had to try it, now. She slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around herself. Looking down at her legs, she saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.**

Those who had experienced it nodded in agreement.

**_Use it well._**** Suddenly, Rosa felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to her in this cloak. Excitement flooded through her as she stood there in the dark and silence. She could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.**

**Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Rosa wake him? Something held her back — her father's cloak — she felt that this time — the first time — she wanted to use it alone.**

"I get it," Ron said softly.

**She crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.**

**"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady.**

"I don't know why she keeps asking that," Remus said. "She never gets an answer."

** Rosa said nothing. She walked quickly down the corridor. Where should she go? She stopped, her heart racing, and thought. And then it came to her. The Restricted Section in the library.**

Hermione nodded approvingly and the twins took a second to think about it before they too nodded.

**She'd be able to read as long as she liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. She set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around her as she walked.**

**The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Rosa lit a lamp to see her way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Rosa could feel her arm supporting it, the sight gave her the creeps.**

"It is creepy at first," Sirius agreed.

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, she held up her lamp to read the titles.**

**They didn't tell her much. Their peeling faded gold letters spelled words in languages Rosa couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.**

"It probably was," Snape said.

**The hairs on the back of Rosa's neck prickled. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.**

**She had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, she looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught her eye. She pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on her knee, let it fall open.**

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence — the book was screaming!**

Rosa winced at the memory. "It was horrible," she said.

"That's not good," Draco said.

"Filch will be there soon," Blaise said.

**Rosa snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. She stumbled backward and knocked over her lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, she heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside — stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, she ran for it. She passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through her, and Rosa slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in her ears.**

"Lucky you had that cloak," Fred said.

**She came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. She had been so busy getting away from the library; she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. Perhaps because it was dark, she didn't recognize where she was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, she knew, but she must be five floors above there.**

"The ma-"Sirius began but Rosa leaned over and slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Third book," she said. He nodded slowly but looked like he was pleased that she had actually gotten the map.

**"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section."**

**Rosa felt the blood drain out of her face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to her horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

**Rosa stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see her, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into her — the cloak didn't stop her from being solid.**

Remus began to laugh. "Sirius figured that out the hard way," he chocked out. Sirius glared at his friend.

"You promised to never mention that again," he said.

"What happened?" Rosa asked.

"I'll tell you later," Remus said. Sirius pouted.

**She backed away as quietly as she could. A door stood ajar to her left. It was her only hope. She squeezed through it, holding her breath, trying not to move it, and to her relief she managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Rosa leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before she noticed anything about the room she had hidden in.**

Rosa stiffened at the mention of the room. She knew what was about to happen and didn't really want them to hear it. Theo noticed her distress and kissed the top of her head while running his fingers through her hair.

**It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing her was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.**

"That's not a language I'm familiar with," Remus said. Hermione moved to look over Ron's shoulder.

"It's not a language," she said. "It's backwards like on a mirror."

"What does it say?" Mad eye asked.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire." Rosa's face fell as she remembered what she saw. She quickly buried her face in Theo's shirt.

**Her panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Rosa moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at herself but see no reflection again.**

Ron smiled. "That's always fun." No one noticed Rosa hiding only Theo and he worried about what she saw.

**She stepped in front of it. She had to clap her hands to her mouth to stop herself from screaming.**

"What is it?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"It can't be another dangerous chapter," Remus said sounding tired. They all turned to a hiding Rosa.

"It's not," her voiced was muffled but carried to them. Just a sad one she thought.

**She whirled around. Her heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed — for she had seen not only herself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind her.**

"What?" Bill said sounding confused.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," Luna said. "So we're going to see what Rosa wants more than anything."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said sounding sad for Rosa. Theo held her closer to him knowing this probably wasn't easy.

**But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, she turned slowly back to the mirror.**

**There she was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind her, were at least seven others. Rosa looked over her shoulder — but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was she in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

**She looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind her reflection was smiling at her and waving.**

Rosa hid her face again as she thought about who the other people besides her parents were. Only one of them looked remotely familiar.

**She reached out a hand and felt the air behind her. If she was really there, she'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but she felt only air – the women and the others existed only in the mirror. She was a very pretty woman.**

Rosa heard someone chock somewhere near her and she looked up to see Sirius with wide sad eyes. He had figured out who she was.

**She had dark red hair and her eyes —her eyes are just like mine,**

"It's Lily isn't it?" Snape said. Rosa lifted her head slightly confused at him but nodded. Theo buried his face in her ear and whispered comforting words to her.

**Rosa thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green — exactly the same shape, but then she noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time.**

"Smiling because she sees you all grown up but crying because she hadn't been there," Mrs. Weasley whispered. Mr. Weasley pulled his wife closer to him.

**The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Rosa's did.**

**Rosa was so close to the mirror now that her nose was nearly touching that of her reflection.**

**"Mum?" she whispered. "Dad?"**

There was not a dry eye in the room. Even Percy couldn't help but feel sad for Rosa.

**They just looked at her, smiling. And slowly, Rosa looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror; there was another man behind her parents with four kids surrounding him. **

**He had dark hair with dark brown eyes. He was handsome as he smiled lovingly down at her.**

Rosa frowned as she looked up at Theo. She could have swore that the man she saw in the mirror was an older version of Theo.

**The oldest looking kid didn't seem to hold any resemblance toward the others but he smiled at her just like the others. He had black hair and dark eyes that she couldn't tell what color they were exactly. **

**The second oldest had the same shade of hair like she had. Their eyes were the same emerald green that sparkled with happiness. **

**The next one had darker hair the shade of the mans. The man and the boys' eyes were the same dark brown. **

**Then there was only one kid left. She had to have been younger than her own age of eleven. Her hair was lighter than the others but her eyes were emerald green with the outer ring a dark brown. **

Rosa was still confused by who these people were but now that she was older she had a better idea. The others didn't seem to have an idea who these new additions were but Rosa figured they were her family. She smiled at the thought.

**Rosa was looking at her family, for the first time in her life.**

Tears sprung back up in the eyes of the others.

**The Potters and others smiled and waved at Rosa and she stared hungrily back at them, her hands pressed flat against the glass as though she was hoping to fall right through it and reach them.**

Sirius and Remus reached over to squeeze her hand.

**She had a powerful kind of ache inside her, half joy, half terrible sadness.**

Rosa wasn't exactly happy that this moment was being told to the others but she knew there wasn't anything she could do about it.

**How long she stood there, she didn't know. The reflections did not fade and she looked and looked until a distant noise brought her back to her senses. She couldn't stay here; she had to find her way back to bed. She tore her eyes away from her mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back,"**

"Please don't," Sirius said softly. "That mirror's bad for you." Rosa didn't bother to say anything. They couldn't change it.

**and hurried from the room. "You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.**

**"You can come tonight, I'm going back, and I want to show you the mirror."**

**"I'd like to see your mum and dad," Ron said eagerly.**

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," Dumbledore said.

"We know that now," Ron said. He was starting to worry about his own desire being told. Not that he still felt that way.

**"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys; you'll be able to show me you're other brothers and everyone."**

**"You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people.**

Bill who was sitting the closest to him hit his arm roughly. "Tactful," he muttered. Ron blushed.

**Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"**

**Rosa couldn't eat. She had seen her parents and her other family and would be seeing them again tonight. She had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?**

Everyone looked at her in worry. "I didn't know it had gotten that bad," Ron said with worry.

"That mirror is no good for you," Neville said.

"You'll end up rotting in front of that mirror," Luna said. "Your desire will drive you to madness." Rosa couldn't help but agree with her. It had almost done just that.

**"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd." What Rosa feared most was that she might not be able to find the mirror room again.**

Ron sent another worried glance over toward her.

**With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Rosa's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.**

**"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."**

**"No!" Rosa hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."**

**They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Rosa spotted the suit of armor.**

**"It's here — just here — yes!" They pushed the door open. Rosa dropped the cloak from around her shoulders and ran to the mirror. There they were. Her mother and father beamed at the sight of her along with the other four.**

"Oh pup," Sirius said sadly.

**"See?" Rosa whispered.**

**"I can't see anything."**

**"Look! Look at them all… there is loads of them…"**

**"I can only see you."**

**"Look in it properly, go on, and stand where I am." Rosa stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, she couldn't see her family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas. Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.**

**"Look at me!" he said.**

**"Can you see all your family standing around you?"**

**"No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!"**

Ron blushed and hid his head. "Traitor!" the twins yelled.

**"What?"**

**"I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too."**

Ron still looked embarrassed as his family looked at him. "I don't feel that way anymore," he muttered. "I was eleven."

**Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Rosa. "Do you think this mirror shows the future?"**

"Ron!" several people yelled. Hermione leaned over Charlie and hit his arm.

**"How can it? All my family is dead — let me have another look —"**

**"You had it to yourself all last night; give me a bit more time."**

**"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."**

"She's got a good point," Blaise said.

**"Don't push me —" **

"You're fighting," Mr. Weasley said. "That mirror is no good."

**A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.**

**"Quick!" Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Rosa stood quite still, both thinking the same thing — did the cloak work on cats?**

"No they can only smell you," Remus said.

**After what seemed an age, she turned and left.**

**"This isn't safe — she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on." And Ron pulled Rosa out of the room. The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.**

**"Want to play chess, Ro?" said Ron.**

**"No."**

Sirius frowned. "Who wants to play against someone who is unbeatable anyway?" Tonks said frowning. She had been the new victim over the summer.

**"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"**

**"No… you go…"**

"That's what made me really worried," Ron said. "You always find a reason to visit Hagrid." The twins looked over at their little sister in worry. How had they not noticed her change of mood?

**"I know what you're thinking about, Rosa that mirror. Don't go back tonight." **

**"Why not?"**

**"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it — and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"**

**"You sound like Hermione."**

**"I'm serious, Rosa, don't go."**

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with Weasley," Draco said.

"You know it's bad when they agree on something," Neville said.

**But Rosa only had one thought in her head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop her.**

A few people groaned knowing Rosa was stubborn and would go back.

**That third night she found her way more quickly than before. She was walking so fast she knew she was making more noise than was wise, but she didn't meet anyone. And there were her mother and father smiling at her again, and the strangers that she felt an odd connection to nodding happily at her.**

**"Hi" she whispered**

Rosa hid her face again in embarrassment.

**Rosa sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop her from staying here all night with her family. Nothing at all. Except —**

**"So — back again,**

Everyone wondered who it was.

**Rosa?"**

**Rosa felt as though her insides had turned to ice. She looked behind her. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore.**

"Good," Sirius said. "He'll make sure you don't go back and won't punish you."

"You did stop going," Mrs. Weasley asked. Rosa nodded.

"I've got pictures of my parents now. I don't need the mirror." Silently she still wondered who the strangers were.

**Rosa must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror she hadn't noticed him.**

**"I — I didn't see you, sir."**

**"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Rosa was relieved to see that he was smiling.**

**"You, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."**

**"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."**

**"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"**

**"It — well — it shows me my family —"**

**"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."**

"Always speaking in riddles," Tonks said fondly.

"But how did you know about Ron?" Remus asked confused. No one answered so Ron kept reading.

**"How did you know —?"**

**"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Rosa shook her head.**

**"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror that is; he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"**

Everyone looked confused. "Always talking in riddles," Tonks muttered again. "Can never just come right out and say it can he?" Dumbledore heard this and smiled at his ex-student.

**Rosa thought. Then she said slowly, "It shows us what we want… whatever we want…"**

**"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them.**

"I wouldn't see that anymore," muttered Ron again before his mother could say anything.

The others no look confused.

**However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.**

**"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Rosa, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?" Rosa stood up.**

**"Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."**

A few people rolled their eyes at that.

**"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

"That's slightly personal Rosie," Sirius said softly.

**"I? I see myself**

A few people looked surprised that he was going to actually tell her while the others figured it wouldn't be the truth.

**holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."**

The ones who suspected a lie nodded while the others grew curious as to what he had actually seen. Even Rosa herself was curious but knew she would probably never find out.

**Bella stared. "One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

"I now know what to get you for Christmas," bellowed the twins. Dumbledore chuckled merrily at that.

**It was only when she was back in bed that it struck Rosa that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, she thought, as she shoved Scabbers off her pillow,**

Rosa shuttered along with Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius. "Bloody rat," hissed Ron under his breath.

**it had been quite a personal question.**

"Who's next?" Ron asked. Fred raised his hand and Ron handed the book over.

"I suspect that after this book we should turn in," Dumbledore said. "It seems several of you are getting tired." Rosa hadn't even noticed how tired she was before he mentioned it. She yawned and snuggled closer to Theo.

He rested his cheek on her head and Rosa sighed in contempt.

**"Nicholas Flamel," **read Fred.

**Well what do you think? Not long before the end of the book comes. This story may be finished next week or possibly this weekend. It all depends on how much I work on it. **

**I'll be posting a side story soon. Most likely after I finish this story. It'll be how Marcus and Rosa becomes friends. **

**Don't forget to click that button!**


	14. Nicolas Flamel

Chapter Fourteen

Nicholas Flamel

Rosa could feel the drowsiness start to take over but was determined to make it until the end of this chapter.

**"Nicholas Flamel," **read Fred.

"So you finally figure it out," Charlie said. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We didn't have the books title to help us out," Ron said.

**Dumbledore had convinced Rosa not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of her trunk.**

The twins seemed sad by this fact but the teachers nodded.

**Rosa wished she could forget what she'd seen in the mirror as easily, but she couldn't. She started having nightmares.**

Sirius, Remus and Theo looked at her with worry. The others looked at her in concern. Sirius and Remus were sad that her parent's memory would give her nightmares. That's not how it should be.

**Over and over again she dreamed about her parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.**

A few people shivered and once again felt pity for Rosa. They wished she could be a normal girl. Out of anyone she deserved it the most.

**"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Rosa told him about these dreams.**

Hermione glared over at Ron. "That's not what you're supposed to say," she hissed. "No wonder she never confides in us."

"That's not why," Rosa said. "I just don't want to bring them up."

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Bella being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that she hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.**

"Like you were much better," grumbled Ron. Mione sent him another withering glare that he shrank back from.

**They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Rosa was still sure she'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Rosa had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.**

**Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic,**

Rosa raised an eye at them. "Becoming?" she smirked. "I think he past that point a long time ago."

**but Rosa was on Wood's side. **

The twins looked at her in horror. She rolled her eyes at their childishness.

**If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Rosa found that she had fewer nightmares when she was tired out after training.**

"We wondered why you drove yourself to the point of breaking during practices," Fred said.

"Yeah you were Oliver's favorite player during that period," George finished.

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

A few people chuckled at that.

**Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.**

A few people snickered at this. Rosa raised her head from its resting place and glanced at Snape. She still had a hard time believing that he did it to protect her.

**"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. **

There was another round of snickers.

**"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin." The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.**

**"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."**

**Which was all very well, thought Rosa, but she had another reason for not wanting Snape near her while she was playing Quidditch…**

Snape frowned at the reminder that she thought he was trying to kill her. He'd never try to kill Lilies daughter.

**The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Rosa headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where she found Ron and Hermione playing chess.**

** Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Rosa and Ron thought was very good for her.**

Hermione scowled at the book and her friends began to laugh.

**"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Rosa sat down next to him, "I need to concen—" He caught sight of Rosa's face.**

** "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."**

"That what you tell a girl," snorted Blaise.

** Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Rosa told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.**

** "Don't play," said Hermione at once.**

** "Say you're ill," said Ron.**

** "Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested. **

** "Really break your leg," said Ron. **

"That wouldn't work," Draco said. "Madame Pomfrey would mend it in seconds."

**"I can't," said Rosa. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."**

"The person you think is trying to kill you is refereeing your game and yet you don't back out is because you'll lose the match," Sirius said in a stressed voice. Rosa nodded.

"Sounds about right," she said. He mumbled about grey hairs again.

**At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse.**

"Oh what happened?" Tonks asked worriedly. Mrs. Weasley glanced at the boy with the same worry.

** He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower. **

** Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione and Rosa, who leapt up and performed the counter curse.**

"Thanks Mione," Neville said. "You too Rosa."

**Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Rosa and Ron.**

** "Malfoy," said Neville shakily.**

McGonagall glared at Draco. "Sorry Neville," he said. Neville just shrugged and said it was alright.

**"I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."**

** "Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"**

"You should have," McGonagall said.

**Neville shook his head. "I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.**

** "You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."**

** "There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.**

Draco looked over at Neville in guilt but before he could say anything Neville stopped him. "We're friends now," he said. Draco nodded with a smile.

**Rosa felt in the pocket of her robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given her for Christmas. She gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.**

"See it was from Hermione," Ron said.

"But of course it's always the last one," Rosa muttered.

"**You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Rosa said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."**

"Oi!" Draco exclaimed. Rosa looked sheepish.

"Sorry Dray," she said. "I don't think like that now."

**Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.**

"**Thanks, Rosa… I think I'll go to bed… D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?" As Neville walked away, Rosa looked at the Famous Wizard card.**

"**Dumbledore again," she said, "He was the first one I ever —"** **She gasped. She stared at the back of the card. Then she looked up at Ron and Hermione.**

"Looks like you found it," Remus said with a grin.

"**I've found him!" she whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945,**

Dumbledore repressed a flinch at the name. No one noticed that his eyes dulled slightly.

**for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!" Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.**

Hermione huffed and glared at her friends. "I was not!"

"Sure you weren't Mione," Rosa and Ron snickered.

**"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Rosa and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.**

** "I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."**

"Didn't you say that book was enormous?" Ginny asked.

"A bit of light reading indeed," Percy muttered.

**"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for.**

** "I knew it! I knew it!"**

** "Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.**

"Nothing's changed then," Neville said cheekily. Ron glared at him but the others laughed.

**"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"**

"About time you get it," Fred said.

"You guy's put all that together with that information?" Remus asked looking proud. The trio nodded.

"Good team work," Sirius said.

**This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected. "The what?" said Rosa and Ron.**

** "Oh, honestly, don't you two read?**

"Well I don't know about it," Rosa said with a smirk toward Ron. "But I read."

"Oi!" Ron yelped. "I do so read."

"Yeah when we force you," Hermione said. He turned around to ignore us.

"Ah don't be that way Ron," Rosa said. Ron sniffed and refused to look at them.

**Look – read that, there." She pushed the book toward them, and Rosa and Ron read:**

"No one is to interrupt this part," Fred said before reading.

**The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.**

** There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth**

A few people who hadn't known this gasped but stayed quiet for the most part.

**birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).**

"**See?" said Hermione, when Rosa and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"**

"**A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Rosa. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."**

"Sorry Professor," Rosa said looking sheepish at Snape. He nodded accepting her apology.

"Living forever would become tedious after a while wouldn't it?" Mr. Weasley said.

"I wouldn't want to live forever," muttered Rosa.

**"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"**

"Well aren't you the observant one Ronniekins," George teased. Ron glared at him.

**The next morning in Defense against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Rosa and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Rosa remembered about Snape and the coming match.**

"How could you forget?" Fred asked. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"I was preoccupied with other things."

** "I'm going to play," she told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them… it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."**

The twins cheered.

**"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.**

"How comforting," Theo said glaring slightly at Hermione. Rosa smirked.

"And you call me the pessimist," she said. "At least I don't tell mine out loud." In an act of maturity Hermione stuck her tongue out at Rosa.

**As the match drew nearer, however, Rosa became more and more nervous; whatever she told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee**

"You'd just have to catch the snitch fast," Sirius said. Everyone that had been at the match smirked and Sirius stared at them curiously.

**Rosa didn't know whether she was imagining it or not, but she seemed to keep running into Snape wherever she went. At times, she even wondered whether Snape was following her, trying to catch her on her own.**

'The girl is too observant," Snape thought. 'I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Even if I was only trying to protect her.' Sirius and Remus glared at the Potion Master.

"What were you going?" Remus demanded. The others in the room, apart from Dumbledore, looked at Severus curiously.

"I was doing my job," sneered Snape. He didn't say anything more on the subject. This answer only left the others even more confused than before. Rosa hoped the books would give her the answer.

**Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Rosa. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Philosopher's Stone?**

"No," Snape said. "Otherwise you would have already been approached about it."

**Rosa didn't see how he could — yet she sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.**

"You better not have been reading her mind," snapped Sirius. Snape didn't dignify that question with an answer. Of course he hadn't.

**Rosa knew, when they wished her good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see her alive again.**

"Such pessimistic thoughts," tsked Blaise. The trio glared at him but that only made his smile grow.

**This wasn't what you'd call comforting. **

Both Ron and Hermione looked sheepish. "Sorry Ro," they said.

**Rosa hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as she pulled on her Quidditch robes and picked up her Nimbus Two Thousand.**

** Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match.**

"You all should carry your wand everywhere you go," Mad eye growled. "Constant Vigilance!" This last part had been yelled making everyone jump in their seats.

Ron, Neville, and Draco shared a look when they remembered what happened during this match.

**Little did Rosa know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse.**

"Really guys?" Rosa asked looking touched.

"Of course," they said grinning at her.

**They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Rosa.**

Snape glared slightly at them but it was only halfhearted. He understood where they were coming from. He would have done the same.

**"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.**

** "I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."**

"I wasn't," hissed Hermione.

**Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Rosa aside. **

They all raised their eyebrows at that wondering what he would say.

**"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much."**

"Good plan," Charlie said. "Did you?" Rosa kept her face blank of any emotion.

"Perhaps."

**"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even — blimey — Dumbledore's come to watch!"**

"Well that's one thing," Sirius said happily.

"No one will try to hurt you with him there," Remus agreed.

**Rosa's heart did a somersault.**

** "Dumbledore?" she said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.**

A few people chuckled and Dumbledore stroked his beard with a twinkle in his eye.

**Rosa could have laughed out loud with relief, she was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt her if Dumbledore was watching. Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry**

Snape rolled his eyes. "Not exactly Potter," he said. 'My plan to protect you was not needed,' he thought.

**as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too. "I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look — they're off. Ouch!" **

"Oh what's going to happen now?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.**

"Of course it would be," Blaise said with a smirk.

**"Oh, sorry, Weasley didn't see you there." Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.**

** "Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on her broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?" Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.**

George grinned widely at this.

**Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Rosa, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.**

"Have you noticed you compare a lot of things to animals," said Neville. Rosa shrugged.

"Never noticed it before."

** "You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all.**

The twins scowled at the reminder.

**"It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents,**

Draco looked distressed at what he had said. Sirius glared at him but Rosa shot him a look. "Don't you dare apologize," Rosa said. Draco still looked extremely guilty for what he had said so Rosa got up from Theo's lap and walked over to him.

She threw her arms around him to pull him into a hug. "Your my friend now Draco," she said. Slowly Draco returned the hug.

"I don't deserve it," he said. Pulling away from Draco Rosa glared at him.

"That's for me to be the judge of," she said sternly. "And I say you're my friend."

"Thanks Rosa." At a job well done she smiled and walked back over to Theo.

**then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money — you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."**

Draco wasn't even able to open his mouth before both Neville and Mr. Weasley held up their hands.

"All in the past my boy," Mr. Weasley said.

**Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. "I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.**

"Good for you Nev," Rosa said with a smile.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."**

** "Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something." Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Rosa.**

"Oh please don't do what I think you're going to do," Mrs. Weasley said with a slight glare. McGonagall who remembered what happened was already glaring at the three students.

**"I'm warning you, Malfoy — one more word—"**

** "Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Rosa —"**

** "What? Where?" **

** Rosa had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd.**

Those who had been there and saw it beamed at Rosa. Charlie looked in awe.

**Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Rosa streaked toward the ground like a bullet.**

** "You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.**

A few people groaned knowing what Ron would do.

**Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground.**

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. The twins however were chanting Ron's name.

** Neville hesitated, and then clambered over the back of his seat to help.**

"You go Neville!" exclaimed the twins. Mrs. Weasley through the boys a warning look.

**"Come on, Rosa!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Rosa sped straight at Snape — she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat,**

"How do you not notice that?" Blaise asked. Hermione shrugged.

"I was more focused on Rosa."

** or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.**

** Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches — the next second, Rosa had pulled out of the dive, her arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in her hand.**

** The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.**

"How long did it take you to get it?" Charlie asked in curiosity.

"No more than five minutes," Rosa said. The twins looked at Ron, Neville, and Draco in amusement.

"It took you guys only five minutes to get into a fight," they said. Neville shrugged.

"What can we say we work fast."

**"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Rosa's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.**

A few people laughed in amusement at that. "Oh I don't know where Ronnie is," joked George.

** Rosa jumped off her broom, a foot from the ground. She couldn't believe it. She'd done it — the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes.**

Sirius and Remus beamed at her with pride while Charlie was still looking impressed.

Sirius stood up and pulled her into his embrace. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered. Rosa only nodded to afraid that if she talked her voice would crack with emotion.

**Gryffindor's came spilling onto the field, she saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped —**

"Thought she was going to break her neck," Snape thought.

** then Rosa felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.**

** "Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Rosa could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror… been keeping busy… excellent…"**

"Why would you remind her?" Sirius asked Dumbledore. He didn't get an answer.

** Snape spat bitterly on the ground.**

** Rosa left the locker room alone some time later, to take her Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broom shed. She couldn't ever remember feeling happier. She'd really done something to be proud of now – no one could say she was just a famous name any more.**

"No one thinks of you like that love," Theo said.

"Perhaps nobody in this room," Rosa said. "But many people do think of me only as a famous name." A few people frowned knowing she was right.

**The evening air had never smelled so sweet. She walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in her head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindor's running to lift her onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.**

A few people snickered at that but Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall only glared.

** Rosa had reached the shed. She leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. She'd done it, she'd shown Snape… And speaking of Snape…**

** A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Rosa's victory faded from her mind as she watched. She recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?**

A few people groaned knowing that she was going to follow him. It was such a Rosa thing to do. To curious for her own good.

**Rosa jumped back on her Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle she saw Snape enter the forest at a run. She followed.**

There was some more groans.

** The trees were so thick she couldn't see where Snape had gone. She flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until she heard voices. She glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.**

** She climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to her broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.**

"Be careful," whispered Mrs. Weasley. Rosa smiled at her reassuringly.

**Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Rosa couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Rosa strained to catch what they were saying.**

"… **d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…"**

"**Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy.**

"Didn't work out very well did it?" snickered Fred. Snape shot him a glare that quieted him.

**"Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all." **

"Again too late," Fred said.

**Rosa leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.**

** "Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"**

** "B-b-but Severus, I —"**

** "You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.**

** "I-I don't know what you—"**

** "You know perfectly well what I mean." An owl hooted loudly, and Rosa nearly fell out of the tree. She steadied herself in time to hear Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."**

Snape groaned. "Damn owl," he thought. "The part that explains what I'm doing and she misses it. This won't look well at all."

**"B-but I d-d-don't —"**

** "Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."**

** He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Rosa could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.**

"I'd be pretty terrified to," muttered someone. Rosa couldn't make out who it had been though.

** "Rosa, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.**

** "We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Rosa on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right talk about showing Slytherin!**

A few people snickered and shook their heads.

** Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."**

McGonagall raised an eyebrow at that.

"**Never mind that now," said Rosa breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room; you wait 'til you hear this…"**

**She made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, and then she told them what she'd seen and heard.**

"**So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —"**

"Well I was half right," Rosa said.

"**So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.**

"**It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.**

Fred closed the book. "That was the end." Dumbledore stood up and gazed at everyone.

"I believe it's time for bed," he announced. "Tomorrow morning we'll finish the book. I believe there are only a few chapters left." Rosa slipped from Theo's lap and pecked him quickly on the lips.

"Goodnight," she said. Theo smiled at her.

"Goodnight and sweet dreams," he said in return. That night Rosa fell asleep with a smile on her face. At the moment everything was alright in her life.

**I'm almost done! I'm pretty excited about finishing my first story. Also my dad took me to go see the Host today and I got to say I liked it. It followed the book which I was happy about and quoted from it several times. **

**I'd suggest seeing it. **

**Back to the story. I've been thinking about adding a playlist for those who like to listen to music while they read. What do you think? Should I? **


	15. Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

Chapter Fifteen

Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

The next morning or what everyone called morning Rosa woke up to find herself alone. She could faintly hear the low chatter of whoever was already up. Leaning back into her pillows she thought about the Reading. She wasn't exactly happy about it.

But who would want their life story being told. Things would be told that she wished would stay buried. But she had no choice in the matter and would deal with it when it came. Standing up she quickly changed into clothes and stepped out into the hallway. Luna was exiting her room and looked up at Rosa and smiled.

"Good morning Rosa," Luna said in her dreamy voice. Rosa smiled fondly at the girl. Luna had been a good friend to Rosa and was one of the few people who had believed Rosa right away.

"Morning Luna," she said. They began to walk together to the kitchen.

"Are you ready for today's reading?" Luna asked. Rosa grimaced. Luna smiled and didn't ask anything more. They made it to the kitchen soon after. Mrs. Weasley looked up and smiled at the two girls before setting plates in front of them.

"They're about to start the reading dears," Mrs. Weasley announced. "As soon as you're done eating." They quickly ate their food before hurrying to the living room space. Theo patted the empty spot between him and Blaise. Luna sat on Blaise's other side.

Blaise smirked at Rosa as she sat down beside him. She wondered if that was a requirement you had to have to get sorted into Slytherin. "Who wants to read next?" Dumbledore asked. Neville raised his hand. Dumbledore handed over the book. "Here you go my boy."

Neville took the book and flipped to the right chapter. **"Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback" **he read.

McGonagall's lips pursed into a think line as she stared at Hermione and Rosa. "You mean to tell me that there was an actual dragon?" Neither Hermione nor Rosa answered. "Well?" Rosa hid behind Theo before answering.

"Yes it was Hagrid's," she said her voice slightly muffled. Charlie looked thoughtful.

"I remember this," he said. McGonagall turned her piercing stare onto him.

"You knew about this Mr. Weasley." It wasn't until then that he realized his mistake. He slowly nodded. This didn't help McGonagall's anger. Hermione and Rosa motioned for Neville to begin reading. Both wanted this chapter to quickly get over with.

**Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.**

** Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Rosa, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe.**

The twins snickered at this.

** Whenever Rosa passed Quirrell these days she gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.**

"We shouldn't have even bothered," Ron grumbled. Rosa frowned at her past actions. Looking back on it she couldn't believe that she was even nice to that man. Her hand went back up to her throat only for her to quickly drop them again.

**Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Philosopher's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colour coding all her notes. Rosa and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.**

"**Hermione, the exams are ages away."**

"**Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."**

Remus raised an eyebrow at her. "To Flamel not to a couple of eleven year olds." Mione looked down at her lap. She knew now had bad she had been.

"**But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."**

"**What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, and I don't know what's gotten into me…"**

Rosa coughed that sounded a lot like 'a life'. Blaise and Theo laughed when they heard her and patted her back.

Mione glanced suspiciously at her but Rosa just smiled sweetly back.

**Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones.**

"It never is," the twins said sounding depressed.

"There's never any decorations just homework," George said sounding like he was mourning someone. Mrs. Weasley looked at them hotly.

"And what about the Easter things I send?" she asked. Both boys lit up at that.

"Those are great mum," they said together.

**It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements.**

"Sorry," she said.

** Moaning and yawning, Rosa and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.**

"**I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.**

A few people glanced at the students with pity. Those were always bad days to miss.

** Rosa, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until she heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"**

"What was he doing?" McGonagall asked suspiciously.

"Research," Hermione said calmly. Research that could get him in trouble Rosa thought.

**Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat. "Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once.**

"Oh Hagrid," Ginny said. "He's not a very good liar is he?"

** "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"**

** "Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding; it's a Philosopher's St—"**

"Don't go yelling that around boy!" Mad eye yelled causing several people to jump. They had forgotten he was here. Seeing so many people jump he then yelled "Constant Vigilance!"

**"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"**

Mad eye nodded approvingly at the book.

** "There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Rosa, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy —"**

Another scowl from Mad eye.

** "SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen — come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh —"**

"Well you sorta did," Bill said.

**"See you later, then," said Rosa. Hagrid shuffled off.**

** "What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.**

** "Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?**

A few people shook their heads. "Most likely not," McGonagall said.

** "I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.**

Mad eye nodded approvingly at the boy.

** "Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide. "**

Charlie looked thoughtful. "He had it from an egg." The trio however frowned as they remembered who had given him the egg.

"**Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, " said Rosa.**

"**But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that.**

A few people raised their eyebrows at that. Some of them muttered an 'I didn't know that'. Charlie beamed at his younger brother.

"Somebody at least has been listening." He patted his brothers back.

**It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden — anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."**

"Oh yeah forgot to tell you guys," Charlie began. "Norbert is actually Norberta."

"He's a girl?" Ron asked. Charlie nodded.

"How can you tell?" Mione asked.

"More vicious," he said with a smile.

"What until we tell Hagrid," Rosa smiled.

"**But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Rosa.**

"**Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind has to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."**

"Hell of a job," Tonks said.

"**So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.**

"Oh you know the usual," Rosa said jokingly. "Just planning on raising a dragon."

** When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.**

** It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.**

"**So — yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"**

"**Yes," said Rosa. There was no point beating around the bush.**

"You never do," Ron said. "Always so blunt."

** "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."** **Hagrid frowned at her.**

"**O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts — I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."**

"**Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice.**

"There's only two ways to get something out of Hagrid," Sirius said. "Sweet talking him or getting him drunk." The teachers frowned at this.

Rosa however remembered another way to get information out of him. Blackmail well not blackmail per say. It was more like bribery. She had told him she'd tell him about the Dementor attack this summer.

**Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."**

The twins beamed at Hermione and stole her from Draco. They plopped her between them. "Good job Mione," Fred said.

"Yeah you little minx," George said. Draco frowned at this and could feel jealousy growing inside of him. Rosa who saw this gave Draco a reassuring smile.

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Rosa and Ron beamed at Hermione.**

"**Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that… let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o' the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick — Professor McGonagall —" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell — an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."**

"**Snape?"**

"**Yeah — yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."**

** Rosa knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as she was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything — excepts, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.**

Rosa glanced sheepishly over at Snape. "You really did make yourself seem like the bad guy," was all she said. He sneered at her but this was usual Snape behavior and didn't bother her.

"**You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. Aren't you, Hagrid?" said Rosa anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"**

"**Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.**

"And Quirrell," Rosa whispered softly. Theo glanced down at her.

"What?" he asked. She shook her head while she snuggled closer to his side.

"Nothing." He let it drop but kept glancing down at her.

**"Well, that's something," Rosa muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."**

** "Can't, Rosa, sorry," said Hagrid. Rosa noticed him glance at the fire. Rosa looked at it, too.**

** "Hagrid — what's that?" But she already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

No one said anything but a few people glanced over at the trio nervously.

"**Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's — er…"**

"**Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."**

"**Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."**

"**But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.**

"**Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library —Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit — it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here — how ter recognise diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."**

"Rare and vicious," Charlie said. Sirius groaned and rubbed at his face.

"Of course they are," he moaned. "Rosa can't do anything that's safe." Rosa huffed at that and glared at her godfather.

**He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't. "Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.**

Mad eye nodded at this. "Good point Granger."

** But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire. So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.**

** "Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed,**

"I still do," Ron commented. Hermione and Rosa burst out laughing.

"Ron this is peaceful for us," Rosa laughed. Several people paled at this. Sirius was quite sure he was going to die of a heart attack during these readings.

**as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Rosa and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts. Rosa was finding it very hard to not fail on purpose. She kept reminding herself that the Dursleys weren't here to punish her.**

** One thought kept coming back though. Even though they weren't here that didn't mean they couldn't punish her this summer. **

Remus began to growl. He was having a hard time containing Mooney. The wolf within was angry that their cub had been hurt. Others in the room couldn't keep themselves from frowning.

Theo pulled her closer to him so that she was practically on his lap.

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Rosa another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: its hatching. **

"You get to see it hatch!?" Charlie asked excitedly. Rosa nodded. Others in the room also seemed curious about it.

**Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.**

Charlie frowned and pouted at Hermione who was still trapped between the twins. Draco still had a frown on his face. Rosa wondered when those two would come to their senses and get together. She'll probably have to play match maker but would need help doing it.

"**Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"**

"I have a feeling only that once," Rosa said.

"**We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"**

"Shouldn't talk about that where you can be overheard," Mad eye growled.

"**Shut up!" Rosa whispered.** **Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Rosa didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.**

"I had heard enough to be interested in finding out what was happening at Hagrid's," Draco said. "I didn't actually hear what he could get in trouble for."

"So you hadn't even known about the dragon until you saw it," Hermione said. Draco nodded.

**Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology**

"That's nothing new," Neville said.

** and in the end,** **Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.**

"**It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.**

** The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.** **They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.**

Several people in the room leaned closer toward the book. They were just as interested in what would happen as the trio had been.

** All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Rosa thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. **

Charlie looked insulted and everyone began to laugh at her description and his face. "You would be a great writer," Luna said. "Your descriptions are lovely." A few people in the room agreed with her.

Rosa wasn't sure she wanted to be a writer. It didn't sound like something she could see herself doing.

**Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body; it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.**

The adults looked worried because of the wooden house.

** "Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured.**

Charlie seemed to agree. Rosa still couldn't see what was so beautiful about the thing. It had looked weird.

** He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.**

** "Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!"**

"I think Hagrid's gone mad," Blaise said.

"I think you have to be mad to want a dragon," Ron muttered. Thankfully Charlie hadn't heard him.

**said Hagrid.**

"**Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"** **Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face — he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.**

"It's Malfoy isn't it," groaned Sirius. Rosa nodded. Draco looked apologetic but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"**What's the matter?"**

"**Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school." Rosa bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.** **Malfoy had seen the dragon.**

** Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Rosa, Ron, and Hermione very nervous.** **They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.**

"**Just let him go," Rosa urged. "Set him free."**

"She's too young," Charlie said. "She would have died."

"**I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."**

** They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his game keeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy.**

Dumbledore frowned.

** There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.**

"**I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid,** **looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"**

"**He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Rosa's ear.**

"Well he had!" he yelled when Mrs. Weasley glared at him.

"**Hagrid," said Rosa loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."** **Hagrid bit his lip.**

"**I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."**

**Rosa suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie." she said.**

"Yes?" Charlie said cheekily. Rosa frowned at him and he beamed back. Her frown turned into a scowl.

"**You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"**

Several people laughed at that while Ron blushed. "I don't think she meant it like that baby brother," Charlie laughed. He patted Ron's head like you would a dog.

**No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"**

"Brilliant idea," Bill said. Mad eye nodded at her approvingly. McGonagall however frowned.

"You should have come straight to me," she said.

"We hadn't wanted Hagrid to get into trouble," Rosa said.

"**Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"**

** And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.**

** The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Rosa sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Rosa's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.**

"**It bit me!" he said,**

Charlie looked down at his brother in worry. "Their venomous," he said. Mrs. Weasley paled at this.

**showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief.**

"**I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby." **

** There was a tap on the dark window. **"**It's Hedwig!" said Rosa, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"**

** The three of them put their heads together to read the note.**

**_ Dear Ron,_**

**_ How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon._**

**_ Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark._**

**_ Send me an answer as soon as possible._**

**_ Love,_**

**_ Charlie_**

McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley frowned in disapproval at Charlie.

** They looked at one another.**

"**We've got the invisibility cloak," said Rosa. "It shouldn't be too difficult – I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."**

** It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with her. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.**

"Not that we think like that now," Rosa told Draco.

**There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.**

Mrs. Weasley looked even more worried at this point. Her face was pale and her eyes wide.

** Rosa and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.**

"**It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me**

"She probably didn't," Remus said. "But wouldn't have questioned you."

— **I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."** **Rosa and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.**

"**It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.**

"**Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."**

"I hadn't wanted too," Draco said. "I didn't want to get any of you in trouble but father made me." Draco by this point was frowning deeply. Rosa detangled herself from Theo to go sit by Draco. He smiled up at her and she patted his back.

"It's alright Dray," she said. "None of us are holding this against you." She settled next to Draco and ran her hand soothingly through his hair. She had done this plenty of times with her other friends when they were upset.

**Rosa and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.**

"**It's too late to change the plan now," Rosa told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."**

Draco smirked playfully at her. "I do now." She swatted at his shoulder with a smile on her face. She went back to running her hand through his hair.

**They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail**

"Poor Fang," Ginny said.

** when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk them.** "**I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage — nothin' I can't handle."** **When they told him ****about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.**

"**Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot — jus' playin' — he's only a baby, after all."** **The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle.**

Hermione shook her head with a frown playing across her lips.

**Rosa and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.**

** They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.**

"**He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."**

Charlie laughed loudly at this. "I was wondering why there was stuffing all over the place."

**From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Rosa as though the teddy was having his head torn off.**

There was another round of chuckles.

"**Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Rosa and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!"**

"I never did," Rosa said.

** How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another – even one of Rosa's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.**

Sirius and Remus sighed. This would have been the perfect time for the map.

"**Nearly there!" Rosa panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.**

** Then sudden movements ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows,**

"Your father forgot occasionally also," Remus said with a smile.

**staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.**

Malfoy winced at the memory. He rubbed his ear. McGonagall looked apologetic. "I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy," she said.

"**Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you —"**

"**You don't understand, Professor. Rosa Potter's coming — she's got a dragon!"**

"Sorry for getting you in trouble," Rosa said pausing in her movements. Draco smirked up at her.

"No problem." She went back to what she had been doing.

"**What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies!**

McGonagall frowned again. At the time it had been such an outrageous story that she hadn't believed it.

**Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"**

** The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.**

"**Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"**

"**Don't," Rosa advised her.**

Draco frowned at this while Rosa quickly went to correct her younger self. "Not that you don't have a lovely voice," she said. "It's a whole lot better than mine."

"I don't know about that," Neville said. "In the shower your voice sounds lovely." Theo glared over at the boy along with Sirius and Remus. He saw this and quickly went to correct himself.

"You can hear her in the dorm," he said. Rosa blushed slightly at the fact that the boys could hear her.

"Has anyone had a crush on her since she moved into the boy's dorm?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah everyone but Ron and I," Neville said. This only made Rosa blush even more. Draco couldn't help but snicker at her and Rosa hit him on the head. Theo's eyes darkened with jealousy. He was glad that no one could do anything to her since McGonagall put charms on her bed.

**Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.**

** Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Rosa and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Rosa and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.** **At last, Norbert was going… going… gone.**

Both Hermione and Rosa couldn't help but cheer at that. Of course they remembered what happened afterwards but they couldn't help but be thankful toward Charlie and his friends.

**They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon — Malfoy in detention — what could spoil their happiness?**

Mione and Rosa frowned. Filch could. "You jinxed it," Ron said.

** The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.**

"**Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble."** **They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.**

A few people groaned. "It's alright pup," Sirius said. "We forgot sometimes too."

"That's the end," Neville said. "Who's next?"

"I will," George said. Neville handed him the book. "**The Forbidden Forest." **Rosa decided to stay by Draco for this chapter. She knew what they had seen in that forest bothered Draco just as much as it had her and at the moment Draco didn't have anyone to be there for him when they read.

**Almost done. I'll finish the story either later today or tomorrow. Also last night I started reading this story called Truth Revealed. It's amazing. It's another reading the book story where Umbridge get's the books and all of the school join in on the reading. I highly suggest reading it if you aren't already. **

**Its a Bill/Fem!Harry pairing and theirs bashing in it so I guess if you don't like that pairing or the bashing then it wouldn't be for you. **

**Anywho don't forget to review!**


	16. The Forbidden Forest

Chapter Sixteen

The Forbidden Forest

George looked down at the title and frowned. **"The Forbidden Forest." **Sirius and Remus glared over at McGonagall and Dumbledore.

"How can you let them go out there for detention?" Remus growled. He knew all kind of dangerous creatures lived in that forest and couldn't bear to think that she could have been hurt.

Draco and Rosa shivered as they remembered what happened. In that moment Draco was glad that Rosa was still next to him.

"I hadn't been aware that they were going in the forest," McGonagall said. "I was only told that they would be helping Hagrid." She had a frown on her face looking worried.

George decided to begin reading before anyone else could say something.

**Things couldn't have been worse.**

"Ugh you jinxed it," Ron said seriously. Rosa couldn't help but agree with Ron. Things could have been a lot worse and it was.

**Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Rosa's brain, each more feeble than the last.**

The twins shook their heads along with Sirius and Remus. "You should always have a cover story no matter what," they said. Even Mad eye agreed with them.

**She couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak?**

Sirius looked sadly over at his pup. He knew she'd beat herself up over this. McGonagall sighed. "Once more I'm sorry," she told Draco, Rosa, Hermione, and Neville. "You each had your reasons for doing what you did."

**There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes.**

** Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.**

"Always the pessimist," snickered Ron. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"You would have thought the same way if you were in our shoes," she grumbled.

**Had Rosa thought that things couldn't have been worse? She was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.**

Rosa looked over at said boy and mouthed sorry.

"**Rosa!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, and he said you had a drag—"**

** Rosa shook her head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.**

"**I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."** **It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.**

"**I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble.**

** I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"** **Rosa caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt.**

"I understand now," he said. "Later when I thought about it I figured you wouldn't have meant for me to get in trouble."

**Poor, blundering Neville**

"Oi!" Neville shouted.

"Sorry Neville," Rosa said.

** — Rosa knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them. **

"Thanks for trying Nev," Hermione and Rosa said.

**"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before!**

Sirius coughed and looked pointedly at his self and Remus. "Mr. Black I wasn't about to tell the girl that her father and his friends were trouble makers," McGonagall said. "Merlin knows they cause enough trouble on their own."

Rosa, Hermione, and Ron looked sheepish.

**You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Miss Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous — and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."**

"Fifty!" exclaimed Sirius, Remus, Bill, Charlie and Tonks in surprise.

"Oh just wait for it," grumbled Ron.

"**Fifty?" Rosa gasped —** **they would lose the lead, the lead she'd won in the last Quidditch match.**

"**Fifty points each," **

Sirius and the others still looked shocked. "You never got us that bad," Remus said.

"Now their house mates are going to turn on them," Sirius said in worry. It was never good when that happens. It's horrible for the ones that are being shunned.

"I hadn't thought of that happening," McGonagall said with a frown.

**said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.**

** "Professor — please —"**

** "You can't —"**

** "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."**

"They'll be killed tomorrow," Tonks said sadly. She had seen it happen before. It's even worse when the other houses join in on it. Sirius shook his head with worry while McGonagall looked extremely guilty.

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Rosa felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. How could they ever make up for this?**

"Oh I'm sure you'll come up with something," smirked Fred. Rosa however shuttered at the thought of what they did. It hadn't been the most pleasant of experiences.

**Rosa didn't sleep all night. She could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Rosa couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him so she got up and did what she usually did when someone was upset. She sat on the edge of his bed and ran her fingers through his hair. Rosa knew Neville, like herself, was dreading the dawn. **

Neville smiled over at her. "I don't think I ever thanked you for that," he said. Rosa shrugged.

"You never had too," she said.

**What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?**

"Nothing good," muttered Sirius and Tonks.

**At first, Gryffindor's passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Rosa Potter, the famous Rosa Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, her and a couple of other stupid first years.**

Rosa sighed. It seemed everyone at Hogwarts either loved or hated her. It was hardly ever in the middle.

**From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Rosa was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs turned on her, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup.**

"I could see the disappointment but that's pretty harsh," Tonks said with a frown. She was pretty ashamed of her house right now. Luna just shook her head at her own house. She remembered when that had happened.

**Everywhere Rosa went, people pointed and didn't bother to lower their voices as they insulted her.** **Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as she walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"**

"Gits," Rosa heard Theo mutter. Blaise from his spot next to him nodded in agreement. They usually didn't bother getting involved with the other Slytherins and had normally kept to themselves.

**Only Ron stood by her.**

Sirius smiled happily at him. Glad that his pup had someone who stood by her.

"Thanks," Remus said. Hermione and Neville looked insulted by this.

"We did too," Neville muttered.

"Yeah but you guys were part of it so it doesn't count," Rosa said.

"**They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."**

"**They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Rosa miserably.**

"**Well — no," Ron admitted.**

** It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Rosa swore to herself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. She'd had it with sneaking around and spying.**

Several people in the group laughed in amusement at this. "How long did that last?" Blaise asked. Rosa huffed at him.

"Until around the detention," she grumbled.

**She felt so ashamed of herself that she went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.**

"**Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good will that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"**

"He's got a good point," Theo said.

**But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Rosa during practice, and if they had to speak about her, they called her "the Seeker."**

Sirius scowled at this. "They didn't have to be so harsh about it," he said. "You could have won the points back some way." Theo's frown deepened as he looked over at Rosa. She was talking quietly to Draco about something he couldn't hear.

"Did you two do it as well?" Remus asked. The twins nodded.

"But it was more like joking," they said. Rosa snapped her head toward the twins, Remus, and Sirius.

"They made me feel slightly better," she said before Remus and Sirius could get angry at them. Both men nodded. The twins grinned over at Rosa.

**Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Rosa, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.**

"It was bad," Tonks whispered to herself.

** Rosa was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying she had to do kept her mind off her misery.**

"At least my grades went up," Rosa said. "I didn't care about what the Dursley's would do or say as long as I was distracted."

"That's something," Sirius grumbled but was angry at the fact that she would have to feel that way.

**She, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions…**

**Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Rosa's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern her was put to an unexpected test.**

"And you passed it," Fred joked. Rosa shot him a glare.

**Walking back from the library on her own one afternoon, she heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As she drew closer, she heard Quirrell's voice.**

"**No — no — not again, please —"** **It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Rosa moved closer.**

Snape leaned forward slightly in his seat since he hadn't been the one talking to him this time.

"**All right — all right —" she heard Quirrell sob.**

** Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban.**

Remus frowned. That turban had been mentioned quite a lot. There was something about it that didn't sit right with him.

** He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Rosa didn't think Quirrell had even noticed her.**

"Constant Vigilance!" Mad eye barked.

** She waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, and then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Rosa was halfway toward it before she remembered what she'd promised herself about not meddling.**

"You mean you actually left it alone," Ron said in mock surprise.

** All the same, she'd have gambled twelve Philosopher's Stones that Snape had just left the room,**

"Looks like you owe someone twelve Philosopher's Stones," Draco whispered to her. Rosa laughed and nodded.

"Even I have to admit that everything Rosa's heard so far points to me," Snape mused. Several people looked shocked at Snape. Did Snape just willingly stand up for Rosa?

**and from what Rosa had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step — Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.**

** Rosa went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Rosa told them what she'd heard.** "**Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell —"**

"**There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.**

"**Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog.**

"It could be possible," Dumbledore said. "There's no saying what's all in the library."

** So what do we do, Rosa?"**

** The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Rosa could.**

"**Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."**

"**But we've got no proof!" said Rosa. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore will think we made it up to get him sacked.**

"That is true," mused Mad Eye. "You got a good head on your shoulders girl."

**Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."**

** Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.** "**If we just do a bit of poking around —"**

"**No," said Rosa flatly, "we've done enough poking around."**

"Merlin you actually stuck to it," George said.

**She pulled a map of Jupiter toward her and started to learn the names of its moons.**

** The following morning, notes were delivered to Rosa, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:**

** Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.**

** Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.**

** Professor McGonagall**

** Rosa had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost.**

"How could you?" Sirius asked. "That's the reason you were miserable in the first place." Rosa shrugged.

"I had a lot on my mind."

** She half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Rosa, she felt they deserved what they'd got.**

Both girls hung their heads.

** At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there — and so was Malfoy. Rosa had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.**

"I feel so loved," Draco said sarcastically. Rosa rolled her eyes.

"We weren't friends then," she said simply. "I was able to forget about you. It was your own fault that you got in trouble anyway." Draco pretended to be wounded but the smirk on his face ruined it.

"**Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.**

"**I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them.**

"Not really," the trio said.

"**Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed… Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."**

McGonagall looked disturbed at this. "Albus we need to talk to Argus about this."

"When we are done with the books and get back to

school I shall speak with him."

** They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. She moved to his side and patted his arm in comfort. Rosa wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. **

Snape shook his head. "What possessed you to send them into the forest?" he asked.

"Hagrid needed help," Dumbledore said. "Argus did not inform me that they would be going into the forest." None of the students were surprised by this. They were sure that Filch would be happy with one less student around.

**The moon was bright,**

Remus's head snapped up in concern. "You sent them out there during a full moon." He paled. Both professors looked angry and ashamed.

**but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Rosa could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.**

"**Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."**

** Rosa's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. Her relief must have showed in her face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, girl — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."**

Rosa and Draco shuddered. If it hadn't been for Firenze Rosa didn't know if she would have gotten out in one piece.

**At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.** "**The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual.**

"What eleven years old would be?" Draco asked.

"**We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard."** **Neville clutched the sleeve of Rosa's robe and made a choking noise.**

Sirius snickered. "Always Bella." Neville just laughed.

"What can I say I was in love." Rosa shook her head at them. Theo rolled his eyes and sent Rosa a smile which she returned. He wasn't going to let it show but he was worried about what was going to happen in the forest.

It had been mentioned for a reason and this was Rosa they were talking about.

** Rosa patted his hand trying to give him some form of comfort. **

"So sweet," cooed Mrs. Weasley and Tonks.

"You're setting the bar too high for us," joked Ginny to Rosa.

"My bad," laughed Rosa.

"**That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"**

McGonagall shook her head in disapproval.

**Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.**

"**Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Rosa, Hermione?"**

"**I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."**

"**That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."**

"**I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.**

"Bloody git," muttered Bill.

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.**

"**I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Rosa was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.**

"Sorry," whispered Rosa. Draco just patted her arm.

"**Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."**

"**But this is servant stuff; it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—"**

"—**tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled.**

"You go Hagrid!" cheered the twins. Rosa shot them a look.

** "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."**

This time the twins kept their mouths shut but there were smirks on there.

**Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.**

"**Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."**

** He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.**

"**Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood.**

"What would harm a unicorn?" Luna asked sadly.

"What would be fast enough to catch one?" Remus muttered. He couldn't help but feel like it had to do with that damn turban and Quirrell. Merlin he hoped it didn't have to do with Voldemort.

**There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."**

"**And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.**

"**There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid.**

"Except Voldemort," Muttered Rosa only loud enough for Draco to hear. He had paled since they mentioned going into the forest. Like Rosa he still had nightmares about that night. It just wasn't something you got over quickly.

"**An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."**

"**I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.**

"**All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Rosa, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other.**

"That's not very good grouping," McGonagall said. She was worried about what Malfoy would have done.

**Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now — that's it — an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh — so, be careful — let's go."**

** The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Rosa, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.**

** They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.** **Rosa saw that Hagrid looked very worried.**

"**Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Rosa asked,**

"Not fast enough," Remus said. Rosa looked down at her lap.

"Sorry Remy," she said. "Draco got the idea stuck in my head and I think on some level I remembered you." Remus just smiled and waved her off.

** knowing the answer was no but it was a creature even Muggles knew.**

A few people frowned at this. "Muggles think a lot of magical creatures are fictional," Hermione said.

"**Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."**

** They walked past a mossy tree stump. Rosa could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.**

"**You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"**

"What happened?" Sirius asked worriedly while glancing over at his goddaughter who was sitting perfectly fine next to Draco.

** Hagrid seized Rosa and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak.**

"Thank Merlin he got them out of the way," Remus said.

** He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground.**

Rosa paled slightly at the mention of this. He had been there. Had been so close to them.

**Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.**

"**I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."**

"**A werewolf?" Rosa suggested.**

"Thanks Draco," Rosa grumbled while looking down at her lap. Remus just shook his head at her but had a small smile on his face.

"**That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."**

** They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.**

"**Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!"** **And into the clearing came — was it a man, or a horse?**

"A centaur," Luna said dreamily.

** To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Rosa and Hermione's jaws dropped.**

"**Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"** **He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.**

"**Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"**

"**Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Rosa Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur.**

"**We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.**

"**Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"**

"**Erm —"**

"**A bit," said Hermione timidly.**

"A bit," laughed the twins. Hermione scowled at them.

"I was in shock," she growled. Rosa couldn't blame her. She hadn't been in much better condition.

"**A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?"**

** Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.**

"**Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."**

A few people looked sad by this. They all knew it to be true. Sad but true.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin' Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"**

"**Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."**

"**Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"** **Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."**

"Never try to get a straight answer from a Centaur," Sirius said. Rosa smirked secretly to herself.

"** A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and - bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.**

"**Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"**

"**Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"**

"**Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?"** **Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.**

Sirius sighed and shook his head.

"**We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."**

** Rosa and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.**

"**Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."**

"So true Hagrid," Sirius said.

"**Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.**

"**Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs… they know things… jus' don' let on much."**

"**D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Rosa.**

"**Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns – never heard anythin' like it before."** **They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Rosa kept looking nervously over her shoulder. She had the nasty feeling they were being watched.**

Rosa shuddered and closed her eyes. 'He had been watching them.' That didn't make her feel good at all. It freaked her out and made her skin crawl. Draco noticed and patted her back comfortingly.

She smiled up at him. "Thanks," she whispered.

"You're here for me," Draco began. "So I'll be here for you. It's what friends are for."

**She was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.**

"**Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"**

"Oh what happened?" Mrs. Weasley asked worriedly. She glanced at both boys. Draco dropped his head ashamed of his past actions.

"**You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path; I'll come back for yeh!"**

** They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.**

"**You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.**

"**I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville… it's our fault he's here in the first place."**

"That's not how I feel anymore," Rosa whispered to Draco.

**The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Rosa's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?**

** At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.**

A few people glared at Draco but it didn't last long when they saw the guilty look on his face.

"**We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups — Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Rosa, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Rosa, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."**

"He's right about having a harder time scaring you," Ginny said.

**So Rosa set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Rosa thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker.**

** There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by.**

Luna frowned sadly at this. Blaise upon seeing this wrapped an arm around her in comfort.

** Rosa could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.** "**Look —" she murmured, holding out her arm to stop Malfoy.**

"Is it the unicorn?" Tonks asked.

"I hope it is," Sirius said. "Knowing Rosa's luck it could be something worse."

**Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.**

** It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead.**

Luna let out a small sob along with Ginny. It was sad that something so pure and innocent had to die.

**Rosa had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.**

** Rosa had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made her freeze where she stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered… Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Rosa, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.**

"That's disgusting!"

"Something so evil shouldn't exist." With a raise of his hand Dumbledore quieted everyone.

"Yes it is horrid but we must calm down," he said in a calm voice.

"**AAAAAAAAAARGH!"**

** Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted — so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Rosa — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front.**

Everyone now figured out why Rosa had decided to stay sitting with Draco. Those two were the only ones that had seen it. It was only right that they were the ones to comfort each other.

** It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Rosa — she couldn't move for fear.**

"I'm sorry for leaving you," Draco whispered.

"It's alright Dray," Rosa said.

**Then a pain like she'd never felt before pierced her head; it was as though her scar were on fire.**

Both Sirius and Theo looked like they wanted to snatch Rosa up but they refrained from doing so. Theo did open up his arms in a silent gesture for her to come to him though.

Rosa shook her head. She wanted to stay with Draco and Theo understood. He'd just have to steal her back after the chapter.

**Half blinded, she staggered backward. She heard hooves behind her, galloping, and something jumped clean over Rosa, charging at the figure.**

** The pain in Rosa's head was so bad she fell to her knees.**

Theo curled his hands into fists. He was so worried for Rosa.

**It took a minute or two to pass. When she looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over her, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.**

"Firenze," she whispered.

"**Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Rosa to her feet.**

A few people raised an eyebrow at this. "He's actually helping a human?" Ginny said.

"Most likely because she's a kid," Charlie said. "Centaurs don't hurt foals."

"**Yes — thank you — what was that?"**

** The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Rosa, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Rosa's forehead.**

"**You are the Potter girl," he said.**

"Even the Centaurs know who you are?" Bill said impressed.

**"You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.**

"You got to ride a Centaur!" several people yelled. Many of their tones were coated with jealousy.

"Only you," Neville said in amusement.

"**My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Bella could clamber onto his back.**

** There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.**

"**Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"**

"**Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter girl. The quicker she leaves this forest, the better."**

"**What have you been telling her?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"**

** Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.**

** Bane kicked his back legs in anger.**

"Merlin Bane is a git," Theo muttered.

"**For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"**

** Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Rosa had to grab his shoulders to stay on.**

"Oi watch it!" Sirius said angrily.

"**Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."**

**A nd Firenze whisked around; with Rosa clutching on as best she could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.**

** Rosa didn't have a clue what was going on.** "**Why's Bane so angry?" she asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"**

** Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Rosa to keep her head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Rosa's question.**

"Of course not," grumbled Rosa.

** They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Rosa thought Firenze didn't want to talk to her anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.** "**Rosalind Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"**

"You're actually going to get to have a normal conversation with one?" Sirius asked sounding amazed.

"I guess."

"**No," said Rosa, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."**

"**That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime.**

There were several people who looked worried at this.

** The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."**

** Rosa stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.** "**But who'd be that desperate?" she wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"**

"Most would think so," Remus said.

"There are the few who don't care," Dumbledore said gravely.

"**It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else — something that will bring you back to full strength and power — something that will mean you can never die. Miss Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"**

"**The Philosopher's Stone! Of course — the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who —"**

"**Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"**

** It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Rosa's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, she seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told her on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."**

"You catch on quick," Mad Eye said in approval.

"**Do you mean," Rosa croaked, "that was Vol- "**

"You guys had to come right then," groaned Rosa.

** "Rosa! Rosa, are you all right?"**

** Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.**

** "I'm fine," said Rosa, hardly knowing what she was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."**

** "This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now." Rosa slid off his back.**

** "Good luck, Rosa Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."**

"So do we," Sirius murmured.

**He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Rosa shivering behind him.**

** Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Rosa roughly shook him awake**

"You dream about Quidditch?" Fred snickered.

**In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Rosa began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.** **Rosa couldn't sit down. She paced up and down in front of the fire. She was still shaking.**

Theo caught Rosa's eye and she smiled reassuringly at him. She knew he wanted her sitting next to him but she wouldn't leave Draco right yet.

"**Snape wants the stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…"**

"**Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.** **Rosa wasn't listening.**

"You usually don't," Hermione said.

"**Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so… Bane was furious… he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen… They must show that Voldemort's coming back… Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me… I suppose that's written in the stars as well."**

Dumbledore made sure his face was expressionless. That's exactly what Voldemort would have to do to her. He just hoped she didn't stay dead.

"**Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.**

"**So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Rosa went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off… Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."** **Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.**

"Such a pessimist," Neville muttered not for the first time.

"**Rosa, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of, with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic." **

"Centaurs have been taught it since they were foals," Dumbledore said. Hermione still didn't seem impressed. Everyone knew that she didn't like divination.

"**And to think I've been worrying about my potion final," Ron said. The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.**

Sirius groaned hoping that whatever it was wasn't too horrid. He didn't think he could take much more excitement.

**When Rosa pulled back her sheets, she found her invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:**

**_ Just in case._**

****"Good you got it back," Sirius said. Remus however wondered who had given it back to her. He glanced over at Dumbledore who was still expressionless.

"Who's next?" Neville asked. Snape raised his hand but didn't seem to keen on it.

"I'll read next," he said grudgingly. **"Through the Trapdoor." **Rosa sighed and slid back between Theo and Blaise. She figured she was going to have to keep Theo calm during this chapter and the next. Hermione quickly slipped from her place by the twins back over to Draco.

This action had Draco looking very pleased which Rosa, Theo, and Blaise noticed.

"You mean to tell me you actually went!?" Sirius yelped.

**Here you go. Just two more chapters to go! **


	17. Through the Trapped Door

Chapter Seventeen

Through the Trapdoor

Snape looked at everybody before beginning to read. He didn't want another outburst like Sirius's. We'd never get this done if that happened.

**In years to come, Rosa would never quite remember how she had managed to get through her exams when she half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment.**

Rosa huffed and crossed her arms. "I was not," she complained.

"Sure you weren't," Ron said. "You were jumpy that whole time." Theo wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"They're just teasing," he whispered. Rosa huffed again but settled into his arms.

**Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.** **It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-cheating spell.**

"Anybody actually try to cheat?" Bill asked. The twins and Sirius raised their hands. "Why?"

"Just curious about what would happen," they said.

"And what did happen?"

"You just get flashed to Dumbledore's office," Sirius said. Dumbledore chuckled.

"I was quite surprised to see you that day Mr. Black."

**They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk.**

"Always loved that," Tonks said. Anyone else that had it agreed with smiles on their faces.

**Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.**

"How ironic," snorted Remus. Snape just smirked and didn't comment.

**Rosa did the best she could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in her forehead, which had been bothering her ever since her trip into the forest.**

"You get use to that," mumbled Rosa who unconsciously rubbed the scar that had been pain free since they got in this room.

**Neville thought Rosa had a bad case of exam nerves because Rosa couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Rosa kept being woken by her old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.**

Draco shivered from his spot who also had nightmares about that night. Rosa smiled softly at him which he returned.

The others looked at her worriedly but she just ignored them and began tracing random patterns on Theo's shirt.

**Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Rosa had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Rosa.**

Ron and Hermione looked sheepish down at their shoes.

**The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.**

** Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Rosa couldn't help cheering with the rest.**

"No one really can," smiled Sirius.

"**That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds.**

"**I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."**

** Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.**

"He likes that," George said.

"Friendly fellow," Sirius said.

"Yeah unless you make him mad," smirked Remus. Sirius scowled at him.

"We promised never to speak of that again." Snape rolled his eyes at the banter and quickly began reading again.

**"No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Rosa, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."**

"For some reason I don't think she's worrying over that," Theo said.

**Rosa was rubbing her forehead.**

"**I wish I knew what this means!" she burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."**

"**Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.**

"**I'm not ill," said Rosa. "I think it's a warning… it means danger's coming…"** **Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.**

A few people rolled their eyes at that.

"**Rosa, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. **

Rosa gave them a pointed look. That didn't mean Dumbledore couldn't leave.

**Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once; he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."**

** Rosa nodded, but she couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something she'd forgotten to do,**

Mad eye leaned forward slightly.

**something important. When she tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."**

** Rosa was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. She watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent her letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy… never… but…**

Mad eye wondered what the girl figured out that a room with a few Auror's hadn't yet.

** Rosa suddenly jumped to her feet.** "**Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.**

"**I've just thought of something," said Rosa. She had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."**

"**Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.**

"**Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Rosa, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?**

"Good eye Potter," Mad Eye congratulated. "You'd be a damn fine Auror someday."

Remus and Sirius beamed proudly at her. But that's when a few people in the room paled.

"So that hooded figure…" Rosa only nodded.

**How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"**

"Because you're an eleven year old kid you should be worrying about school and fun not dark wizards," Sirius said like it was obvious. To any other kid it would be but Rosa wasn't normal.

"**What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Rosa, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.**

"She's really fast," Ron said. "It's hard keeping up with her."

** Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.**

"**Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"**

"**Yes, please," said Ron, but Rosa cut him off.**

"**No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"**

"**Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."** **He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.**

"**It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one of the pub down in the village.**

"That is true," Sirius said with a frown.

** Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."**

** Rosa sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"**

"**Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah… he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after… so I told him… an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon… an' then… I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks…**

A few people groaned. They were sure that the person was getting information out of him.

** Let's see… yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted… but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home… So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"**

"**And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Rosa asked, trying to keep her voice calm.**

"Brilliant," Mr. Weasley said impressed that an eleven year old could figure this out.

"**Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —"**

"It's that easy?" Blaise asked.

"The sheer brilliance of it is that no one would figure it's that easy," Mad Eye said. "Unfortunately you also have someone who's been digging for the answer."

**Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.**

"Poor Hagrid," Luna said.

"**I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?"**

** Rosa, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.**

"**We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Rosa.**

"And why didn't you!?" exclaimed McGonagall.

"We tried," Rosa said simply. McGonagall flushed as she remembered what she had done.

** "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"**

** They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. **

"We should probably have one of those," McGonagall said. "Or always show first years where your office is."

**They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.**

"Why didn't you think of us?" the twins asked sounding scandalized. Ron shrugged.

"I forgot."

"**We'll just have to —" Rosa began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.**

"**What are you three doing inside?"** **It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.**

"**We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Rosa and Ron thought.**

A few people snorted at this.

"**See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do.**

"It usually is," McGonagall sighed. "But with these three I guess normal circumstances don't apply."

**"Why?"** **Rosa swallowed — now what?**

"**It's sort of secret," she said,**

"That's not going to be good," Sirius said.

** but she wished at once she hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.**

"**Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."**

"**He's gone?" said Rosa frantically. "Now?"**

"**Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time – "**

"**But this is important."**

"**Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"**

"Why yes," Fred said.

"Yes it is," George finished.

"**Look," said Rosa, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor — it's about the Philosopher's Stone —"**

"Oh I wished I was there to see her face," Sirius said gleefully. McGonagall frowned at him.

**Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. **

"Of course not," McGonagall sniffed. "Student's weren't supposed to know about the stone."

**The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.** "**How do you know —?" she spluttered.**

"It's Rosa professor," the twins said like it was supposed to be obvious. It kind of was.

"**Professor, I think — I know — that Sn— that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." She eyed her with a mixture of shock and suspicion.**

** "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."**

The trio smirked at each other. The professors frowned because three eleven year olds shouldn't have been able to get pass.

"**But Professor —"**

"**Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." But they didn't.**

"Well of course not," Neville said.

"Not when there's a stone in danger of being stolen," joked Fred.

"**It's tonight," said Rosa, once she was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note; I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."**

"Good thinking Potter," Mad Eye said.

Ginny turned to Dumbledore. "Was he?" she asked. Dumbledore chuckled.

"He was indeed."

"**But what can we —"** **Hermione gasped. Rosa and Ron wheeled round.** **Snape was standing there.**

Sirius groaned.

"**Good afternoon," he said smoothly.** **They stared at him.**

Snape had wondered what they were talking about. Well now he knew.

"**You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.**

A few people who had seen that smile shivered.

"**We were —" Rosa began, without any idea what she was going to say.**

"**You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"**

Ron scowled at the professor.

**Bella flushed. **

The twins began to coo and Rosa frowned at them. Theo laughed at the look on her face and shook his head at the twins in amusement.

**They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.**

"**Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."** **He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.** **Out on the stone steps, Rosa turned to the others.**

"**Right, here's what we've got to do," she whispered urgently.**

Sirius and Remus groaned. Why couldn't she be a normal kid?

** "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."**

"**Why me?"**

"Isn't it obvious?" Tonks asked. "You can just ask about your exam or something school related. It would look weird coming from one of them."

"**It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know."** **He put on a high voice,**

"I do not have a high voice," Hermione scoffed.

** "Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong…"**

Several people laughed at this.

"**Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.**

"**And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Rosa told Ron. "Come on."**

"So that's what you were doing," McGonagall said.

** But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.**

"**I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"**

"Don't really see why you found that surprising," Bill whispered to Ron.

"It looks like you need to take fifty points away professor," joked George.

** Rosa and Ron went back to the common room, Rosa had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.**

"You guys have such horrible luck," Neville said.

"**I'm sorry, Rosa!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."**

"**Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Rosa said.** **The other two stared at her. She was pale and her eyes were glittering.**

"We know that look all too well," Ron groaned.

"**I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."**

Groans could be heard throughout the room. "You foolish girl," Snape whispered. He remembered she had been in a coma for days after that incident.

"**You're mad!" said Ron.**

"**You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"**

"Here comes the speech," Ron said.

"That was a really good one," Hermione said. "One of her best." People were looking curiously at the trio now.

"**SO WHAT" Rosa shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts!** **Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side!**

There was silence and then someone whistled. There were several awed and shocked faces surrounding her. Rosa blushed and hid her head in Theo's chest.

**I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"**

Sirius and Remus looked sad at that and glanced over at Rosa.

**She glared at them.** "**You're right Rosa," said Hermione in a small voice.**

"**I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Rosa. "It's just lucky I got it back."**

"**But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.**

"Such loyal friends," Luna said dreamily.

"You didn't expect us to just sit back did you," Ron said in amusement. Rosa shrugged.

"I wasn't use to having friends."

"**All — all three of us?"**

"**Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"**

"**Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…"**

"**But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."**

"Trying to stop us eh Rosa," Ron said.

"I hadn't wanted to get you guys hurt," she said. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"That should have gone for you too," he said.

"Noble prat," Hermione said jokingly.

"**Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam.**

The twins whistled at that. "Wow." Hermione blushed.

**They're not throwing me out after that."**

** After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindor's had anything to say to Rosa any more, after all. This was the first night she hadn't been upset by it.**

** Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break.**

"Good idea," Charlie said. "Unfortunately I don't believe that first year spells would be used."

**Rosa and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.** **Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.**

"**Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Rosa ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. She pulled out the cloak and then her eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given her for Christmas. She pocketed it to use on Fluffy — she didn't feel much like singing.**

"Such a shame," Neville said. "You have a good singing voice." Rosa glared at him.

**She ran back down to the common room.** "**We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —"**

"That would be a sight to see," laughed Sirius and the twins.

"**What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.**

"Thank you dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "For trying to stop them."

"Too bad it didn't work," Sirius grumbled.

"If it had worked then the stone would have been stolen," Rosa said while crossing her arms.

"**Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Rosa, hurriedly putting the cloak behind her back.** **Neville stared at their guilty faces.**

"**You're going out again," he said.**

"**No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"** **Rosa looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.**

"**You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."**

"**You don't understand," said Rosa, "this is important."** **But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.**

"We really are sorry Neville," Hermione said.

"It's alright I understand now," he said. The others who didn't know what happened looked at them in confusion.

"**I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!"**

"**Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"**

"**Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"**

"Yeah but not to us," Ron said smiling.

"**Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."** **He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.**

"**Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!" **

"Oh Neville," Mrs. Weasley said fondly. McGonagall just smiled at her lions. They were all so brave.

**Ron and Hermione turned to Rosa.** "**Do something," they said desperately.** **Ros stepped forward.**

"**Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."** **She raised her wand.**

"**Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville.**

"You cursed him!?" several people yelped. Rosa looked extremely guilty but nodded.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Blaise teased.

**Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.** **Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.**

"**What've you done to him?" Ron whispered.**

"**It's the full Body-Bind," said Rosa miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."**

"Like I said before," Neville said. "I understand now."

"**We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Rosa.**

"**You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.**

** But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen.**

"No I wouldn't believe it would," Remus said.

** In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.**

"**Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Rosa's ear,**

Those that had the same life ambition laughed.

"I did that in seventh year," chuckled Bill. Mrs. Weasley couldn't even get mad at him because she remembered that the cat was a bloody nuisance even when she was in school.

**but Rosa shook her head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamp like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.**

** They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.**

"Oh how I love Peeves," chuckled Sirius.

"**Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"**

"Oh just a wee student," Fred snickered.

"How did you three not get caught?" Bill asked. Ron smiled widely.

"Read and see," he said eagerly. "It was brilliant."

**He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.** "**Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."** **Rosa had a sudden idea.**

"Those are always your best," Hermione said. "They've never failed us yet."

"What do you mean?" Theo asked.

"Her spontaneous ideas always work but the ones that she puts a lot of thought into usually don't," snickered Ron. Rosa sent him a glare.

"**Peeves," she said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."**

"Peeves would never believe that," Sirius scoffed. The trio shared secretive looks and Rosa had to hide her face so she didn't give it away.

**Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.** "**So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily.**

"I can't believe that worked!" Fred said. The pranksters in the room looked at her in awe.

** "My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."**

** "I have business here, Peeves," croaked Rosa. "Stay away from this place tonight."**

** "I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." And he scooted off.**

They were still in shock that it actually worked. "You have to come pranking with us!" exclaimed the twins.

"**Brilliant, Rosa!" whispered Ron.** **A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.**

"Someone's already gone through.." Theo who was sure he wouldn't like what was about to happen wrapped an arm securely around Rosa.

"**Well, there you are," Rosa said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."** **Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Rosa turned to the other two.**

"And this is where she'll try and talk us out of it," Hermione said while rolling her eyes.

"Noble prat," smiled Ron.

"**If you want to go back, I won't blame you," she said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."**

Hermione and Ron looked at Rosa fondly. "It's like you expect us to bail on you," they said. Rosa wasn't going to answer but she had thought that.

"**Don't be stupid," said Ron.**

"**We're coming," said Hermione.** **Rosa pushed the door open.** **As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.**

"**What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.**

"**Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."**

"**It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Rosa. **

"Good observation," Mad Eye said.

**"Well, here goes…"**

** She put Hagrid's flute to her lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Rosa hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.**

Many of the people in the group still couldn't believe something as vicious as that dog could be put to sleep simply with music.

"**Keep playing," Ron warned Rosa as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"**

"**No, I don't!"**

A few people chuckled at that while Rosa raised an eyebrow at her friends. "What?" Ron asked. "Women always first."

"Unless in dangerous situations," huffed Hermione.

"**All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.**

"**What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously. **

"**Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."** **Rosa, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at herself.**

"**You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."**

** Rosa handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.**

** Rosa climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.** **She lowered herself through the hole until she was hanging on by her fingertips.**

Theo's grip tightened with just the smallest of pressure. Rosa snuggled closer to him in hopes of comforting him.

Remus and Sirius both looked worried for their goddaughter/niece.

**Then she looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"**

"That's what you should have done to begin with," McGonagall said but worry tinted her voice. She didn't know if she wanted to know what happened to her lions in fully detail.

**Right," said Ron.**

"**See you in a minute, I hope…"** **And Rosa let go. Cold, damp air rushed past her as she fell down, down, down and —**

** FLUMP. **

"Flump?"

"Flump," confirmed Rosa.

"Is it some kind of plant?" Neville asked. No one answered his question but they were worried about what type of plant would have been used.

**With a funny, muffled sort of thump she landed on something soft. She sat up and felt around, her eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though she was sitting on some sort of plant. **

"That's gotta be Sprouts protection," Mr. Weasley said.

"**It's okay!" she called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"**

"Oh for some reason I wish you guys wouldn't," muttered Remus.

**Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Rosa.**

"**What's this stuff?" were his first words.**

"No they weren't," Fred said. "It was ma." Ron scowled at him. He knew perfectly well what the book meant.

"**Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!"**

"For some reason I don't believe that's its purpose," Blaise said sarcastically.

** The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Rosa's other side.**

"**We must be miles under the school," she said.**

"**Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.**

"**Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"**

** She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Rosa and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.**

"How did you not notice that?" Draco asked. They shrugged.

**Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as Rosa and Ron fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.**

"Somebody do something," yelped Mrs. Weasley. The others thoughts weren't too far behind.

Theo buried his face into Rosa's hair to reassure himself that she was here safe and sound.

"**Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"**

"Oh Merlin," Sirius groaned. His eyes strayed over to Rosa who was being held tightly by Theo. He and Remus wanted nothing more to grab Rosa and pull her over to them.

"**Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.**

Mrs. Weasley whimpered at that. The rest of the Weasleys looked fearful at these words.

"**Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.**

"**Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Rosa gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around her chest.**

Rosa felt Theo stiffen and she curled up into his side and ran her fingers through his hair in a soothing way. He relaxed slightly but still held her firmly to him so she didn't stop her actions.

"**Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare… what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp."**

"**So light a fire!" Bella choked.**

"**Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.**

"No wood?" snickered George. Hermione glared at him.

"I was twelve!" she exclaimed. "I hadn't yet gotten uses to being a witch."

"**HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"**

"**Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two friends felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.**

** "Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Rosa as she joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off her face.**

** "Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Rosa doesn't lose her head in a crisis — 'there's no wood,' honestly."**

Several people glanced over at Hermione in amusement. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh shut up," she snapped.

"We didn't say anything," Draco said.

"Yeah well you were thinking it."

"**This way," said Rosa, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.**

** All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Rosa was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, she remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough…**

"Oh Merlin please don't let there be a dragon," gulped Mrs. Weasley.

"There wasn't," the trio assured everyone.

"**Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.**

** Rosa listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.** "**Do you think it's a ghost?"**

"**I don't know… sounds like wings to me."**

"**There's light ahead — I can see something moving."**

** They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.**

"**Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.**

"Wouldn't put it past the charm," Sirius said.

"**Probably," said Rosa. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once… well, there's no other choice… I'll run."**

"Of course," Sirius moaned. "Always you." Rosa smiled over at him. Theo groaned and buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"You'll be the death of me love," he whispered. Rosa smiled while she kept running her fingers through his hair.

**She took a deep breath, covered her face with her arms, and sprinted across the room. She expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her any second, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked.**

"Well at least they didn't attack you," Remus sighed. "But that means you have to do something else."

** The other two followed her. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.**

"That would be too easy," McGonagall said.

"**Now what?" said Ron.**

"**These birds… they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.** **They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering —glittering?**

"**They're not birds!" Rosa said suddenly. "They're keys! **

"Good eye Potter," growled Mad Eye.

**Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean…" she looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "… yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"**

"**But there are hundreds of them!"** **Ron examined the lock on the door.**

"**We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle."**

"You are good," Luna complimented.

**They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.**

** Not for nothing, though, was Rosa the youngest Seeker in a century. She had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, she noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.**

"Most likely because it had been," George said.

"**That one!" she called to the others. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side."** **Ron went speeding in the direction that Rosa was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.**

The twins snickered but were hushed by their mother.

"**We've got to close in on it!" Rosa called, not taking her eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!"**

Mad Eye nodded approvingly. "Good team work."

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Rosa streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Rosa leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber.**

The room also erupted in cheers.

** They landed quickly, and Rosa ran to the door, the key struggling in her hand. She rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.**

"That poor key," said Luna dreamily.

"**Ready?" Rosa asked the other two, her hand on the door handle. They nodded. She pulled the door open.** **The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.** **They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard,**

McGonagall paled as she recognized her own protection.

**behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Rosa, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.**

"Creepy," shivered Ginny. The others nodded in agreement.

"**Now what do we do?" Rosa whispered.**

"**It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."** **Behind the white pieces they could see another door.**

"**How?" said Hermione nervously.**

"**I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."**

** He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.**

"**Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.**

"**This needs thinking about…" he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…"**

Mrs. Weasley paled. "Is this Wizards chess?" Mr. Weasley asked. The trio and McGonagall nodded. Theo held Rosa tighter and Mrs. Weasley kept sending worried glances over toward Ron.

**Rosa and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —"**

"**We're not offended," said Rosa quickly. "Just tell us what to do."**

Bill who say everyone's worried faces tried to ease there worry slightly. "Ron's brilliant at chess," he said. "He'll get them through safely." No one noticed the trio glancing at each other.

Ron had gotten Rosa and Hermione through safely but not so much himself.

"**Well, Rosa, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle."**

"**What about you?"**

"**I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.**

** The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Rosa, Ron, and Hermione took.**

Sirius, Remus, and Theo tensed as did the Weasleys. Draco looked nervously as Hermione from the corner of his eye.

"**White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes… look…"** **A white pawn had moved forward two squares.** **Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Rosa's knees were trembling. What if they lost?**

"Don't even think like that," Theo whispered. "With your luck you'll jinx it." Rosa rolled her eyes at him.

"**Rosa — move diagonally four squares to the right."**

** Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.**

Several people paled significantly at that.

"**Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."**

** Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Rosa and Hermione were in danger.**

Sirius yelped. "Be more careful!"

**He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.**

"**We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think — let me think…"** **The white queen turned her blank face toward him.**

"**Yes…" said Ron softly, "It's the only way… I've got to be taken.**

Mrs. Weasley gasped before launching herself across the room and grabbed Ron from Charlie and Bill. She crushed him into a hug while he gasped. "Mum I was fine. Let me go." She didn't listen to him and kept her arms firmly around him.

The rest of the Weasleys looked sickly pale at the thought of their brother risking himself like that.

"I wasn't killed," he grumbled. "The only person nearly killed was Rosa." Rosa glared at her spot next to Theo. Theo however paled at this and pulled her onto his lap. She sighed and looked over at Ron.

"Thanks Ron," she said dryly.

"No problem," he said while trying to fight off his mother.

"**NO!" Rosa and Hermione shouted.**

"**That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Rosa!"**

"You three are the strangest eleven years old I have ever heard of," Bill said with a shake of his head.

"My brave little lions," mumbled McGonagall.

"**But —"**

"**Do you want to stop Snape or not?"**

"**Ron —"**

"**Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"** **There was no alternative.**

A sob came from Mrs. Weasley and the others weren't looking all that better.

"**Ready?" Ron called his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won."**

** He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor —**

A muffled sob came from Mrs. Weasley. The others were deathly pale.

** Hermione screamed but stayed on her square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.** **Shaking, Rosa moved three spaces to the left.**

** The white king took off his crown and threw it at Rosa's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Rosa and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.**

"Good you didn't come check on me," came Ron's muffled voice. "I was afraid the game would reset its self." McGonagall nodded.

"It would have," she whispered.

"**What if he's —?"**

"**He'll be all right," said Rosa, trying to convince herself.**

"I was worried for you," Rosa said.

** "What do you reckon's next?"**

"**We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's."** **They had reached another door.**

"**All right?" Rosa whispered.**

"**Go on."** **Rosa pushed it open.**

** A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.**

"Well at least you didn't have to take care of that one," Remus said.

"Yeah there's no Ron to knock it out again," joked George. Mrs. Weasley slowly let go of Ron after several minutes of begging on his part.

"**I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Rosa whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."**

** She pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.**

"Not very frightening unless you accidentally drink the wrong one," muttered Rosa.

"**Snape's," said Rosa. "What do we have to do?"**

** They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.**

"**Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Rosa looked over her shoulder to read it:**

**_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_**

**_Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,_**

**_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_**

**_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_**

**_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_**

**_Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line._**

**_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_**

**_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_**

**_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_**

**_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_**

**_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_**

**_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_**

**_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_**

**_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_**

**_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_**

**_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._**

****"I'd be deader than a door nail," Tonks said.

"I might be able to do it if I had the bottles in front of me," mused Remus.

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Rosa, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing she felt like doing.**

"**Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic; they'd be stuck in here forever."**

Several people grumbled in agreement to this.

"**But so will we, won't we?"**

"I really shouldn't have thought that," Rosa said. "I mean this is Hermione Granger." Hermione blushed.

"**Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."**

"How long did it take you to figure it out?" sighed Snape. Rosa smirked.

"Five minutes or so," she said fondly.

"**But how do we know which to drink?"**

"**Give me a minute."**

** Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.**

"**Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."** **Rosa looked at the tiny bottle.**

"**There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."**

Theo sighed and rested his forehead against Rosa's. "You're going alone," he stated simply.

"It would seem so," Rosa said.

"I think I might die during these readings," he muttered. Rosa smiled at him.

"Well we can't have that," she said then gave him a quick kiss before pulling back.

**They looked at each other.**

"**Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"** **Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.**

"**You drink that," said Rosa. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."**

"I'm really not," she said. "I could dodge but I had no doubt that sooner or later I would be hit."

"**But Rosa — what if You-Know-Who's with him?"**

"**Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Rosa, pointing at her scar. "I might get lucky again."**

"Please don't talk like that," Sirius said looking pale with worry.

**Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Rosa and threw her arms around her.**

"**Hermione!"**

"**Rosa — you're a great witch, you know."**

"**I'm not as good as you," said Rosa, very embarrassed, as she let go of her.**

"**Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Bella —be careful! "**

"Defiantly not normal first years," Bill said. "You don't even act your age."

"**You drink first," said Rosa. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"**

"**Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.**

"**It's not poison?" said Rosa anxiously.**

"Now we know why you asked her to go first," joked the twins trying to ease up the tension. Rosa shot them an annoyed look but a smile played across her lips.

"**No — but it's like ice."**

"**Quick, go, before it wears off."**

"**Good luck — take care."**

"**GO!"**

** Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Rosa took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. She turned to face the black flames.**

** "Here I come," she said, and she drained the little bottle in one gulp.**

** It was indeed as though ice was flooding her body. She put the bottle down and walked forward; she braced herself, saw the black flames licking her body, but couldn't feel them — for a moment she could see nothing but dark fire — then she was on the other side, in the last chamber.**

** There was already someone there — but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.**

"Well who is it then?" George asked.

"That's the end of the chapter," Snape said. He handed the book over to Hermione who had yet to read.

**"The Man With Two Faces," **she read.

**Whoo! Only one more chapter!**


	18. The Man with Two Faces

Chapter Eighteen

The Man with Two Faces

Several peopled paled. What could the book mean by that? They didn't think they'd like the answer.

**It was Quirrell.**

This shocked several people besides Mad Eye and Remus who had figured it out.

"Quirrell?" Fred asked like he had heard wrong.

"That stuttering idiot," George said.

"**You!" gasped Rosa.** **Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.**

"**Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."**

"**But I thought — Snape —"**

"**Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat.**

Snape scowled at the book but a few people couldn't help the snorts that left their lips.

**Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"**

"That was fake!?" growled Fred.

"That thing was bloody annoying," Neville stated.

"Do you know how hard it is to take notes with that damn stutter," George said. Several students nodded in agreement. Rosa had been unusually quiet. Her hand absentmindedly touched her throat.

Theo glanced worriedly down at her and took her free hand into his own.

**Rosa couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.** "**But Snape tried to kill me!"**

"**No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger**

Hermione paled considerably at this statement. "So he does remember," she whispered. Rosa sent her a reassuring smile.

"As long as I'm around I won't let him touch you," she said confidently.

** accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter curse, trying to save you."**

Sirius turned to look over at Severus. Gratitude shined brightly in his eyes. "Thank you," was all he said. Snape looked taken aback by this but nodded in recognition.

Of course he would save the Potter brat. He may not have really liked her but she was still Lily's daughter.

"**Snape was trying to save me?"**

"**Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really… he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching.**

Snape scowled at this. He had been glad that Potter wouldn't have been attacked again but wished Dumbledore would have told him so he didn't have to referee that damn match.

** All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular…** **and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."**

Remus and Sirius growled. Remus's eyes glowed amber showing that Mooney was trying to come out. Snape who had become fond of the girl during the reading eyes darkened.

**Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Rosa.**

Theo paled and gripped Rosa tighter. She reached up and caressed his cheek. "It's alright I'm here," she whispered soothingly.

"**You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."**

"**You let the troll in?"**

"**Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there?**

"Disgusting," hissed Ginny.

**Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death,**

Remus growled warningly at this.

** that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.**

Snape's scowl deepened.

"**Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."** **It was only then that Rosa realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.**

"I thought you got rid of that thing!" yelped Sirius.

"**This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London… I'll be far away by the time he gets back…"**

** All Rosa could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.**

"Good thinking potter," Mad Eye said. Everyone knew it was true. Rosa really wasn't a match for him.

"**I saw you and Snape in the forest —" she blurted out.**

"**Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"** **Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.**

"**I see the Stone… I'm presenting it to my master… but where is it?"** **Rosa struggled against the ropes binding her, but they didn't give. She had to keep Quirrell from giving her whole attention to the mirror.**

"**But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."**

"That's your fathers and I fault," Sirius said sadly.

"**Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."**

"That's comforting," Ron said trying to ease some of the tension. It didn't work.

"**But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing — I thought Snape was threatening you…"** **For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.**

"**Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions — he is a great wizard and I am weak —"**

"Well you got one right," Draco said. "You are weak."

"**You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Rosa gasped.**

"He was at Hogwarts!" the twins exclaimed. Mrs. Weasley looked worried as she glanced at her children.

"**He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly.**

"How?" Neville asked looking really pale. But Remus had paled as he realized what the title meant. The Man with Two faces. That couldn't possibly be.

**"I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…**

Dumbledore looked grave. 'He is the weak one,' he thought.

**Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me… decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…"**

Several other people paled as they began to put the pieces together. Rosa shuddered and Theo rubbed her back soothingly.

**Quirrell's voice trailed away. Rosa was remembering her trip to Diagon Alley — how could she have been so stupid? She'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.**

Rosa looked disgusted at the idea that she touched him. Theo patted her hand and kissed her forehead. She couldn't believe that she hadn't put it together sooner.

"It wasn't your job to figure it out," Tonks said. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

**Quirrell cursed under his breath. **

Mrs. Weasley looked offended at the idea that he would curse in front of a child.

**I don't understand… is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"**

'That wouldn't help you,' Dumbledore thought.

**Rosa's mind was racing.**

** What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, she thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it —**

Dumbledore beamed at her. Mad Eye nodded approvingly at her.

"Like a real Auror," Mad Eye said.

**which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?**

**She tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around her ankles were too tight: she tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored her. He was still talking to himself.**

"**What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"**

** And to Rosa's horror, a voice answered,**

Several people paled at this.

** and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.** "**Use the girl… Use the girl…"**

"No don't use the girl," Sirius groaned. Theo's grip tightened on her and he pulled her into his lap.

**Quirrell rounded on Rosa.** "**Yes — Potter — come here."** **He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Rosa fell off. **

Several people shook their heads. Even they knew that you never untied your hostages.

**Rosa got slowly to her feet.** "**Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."** **Rosa walked toward him.**

** I must lie, she thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.**

Snape shook his head. "If the Dark Lord is there he'll be able to tell that you're lying." Rosa knew he was right. Voldemort had called her out on it.

"Yeah I know that," Rosa said.

**Quirrell moved close behind her. Rosa breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban.**

'What is with that turban?' Remus asked.

**She closed her eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.** **She saw her reflection, pale and scared-looking at first.**

No one could blame her. They'd be pale and scared looking if they were in her position.

**But a moment later, the reflection changed and her mirror image was holding a small boy that looked no older than three years old. **

To this day Rosa wondered who the boy was. He didn't look anything like her.

**The three year old was holding the blood-red stone. He smiled brightly at her while her mirror image winked. The mirror image took the stone from the three year old and slipped it into her pocket. She felt something heavy drop into her own pocket. Somehow — incredibly —she'd gotten the Stone.**

Several people looked confused at this. "What?"

"**Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"** **Rosa screwed up her courage.**

Several people beamed at her with what looked like pride. "I don't know if I'd be able to do that at eleven," Blaise muttered from beside her. He turned to smile at her which she returned.

"**I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," she invented. "I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."**

"Believable," Dumbledore said. Snape nodded also but kept his comment to his self. 'Too bad it won't work because he's there.'

**Quirrell cursed again.** "**Get out of the way," he said. As Rosa moved aside, she felt the Philosopher's Stone against her leg. Dare she make a break for it?**

"Too obvious," Mad Eye growled out.

**But she hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.** "**She lies… She lies…"**

Sirius and Remus looked highly nervous.

"**Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"** **The high voice spoke again.**

"**Let me speak to her… face-to-face…"**

"He was really there," whispered Percy. Several of the Weasleys gave him a pointed look that said 'duh'.

"**Master, you are not strong enough!"**

**I have strength enough… for this…"**

** Rosa felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting her to the spot. She couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, she watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on?**

"You're about to meet the Dark Lord," paled Blaise looking over at the girl he was beginning to think of as a sister.

** The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.**

** Rosa would have screamed, but she couldn't make a sound.**

Theo held onto her tighter.

** Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Rosa had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.**

There were several gasps in surprise and disgust. Rosa's description unnerved them.

"**Rosalind Potter…" it whispered.**

Fred and George paled considerably like Hermione had. They were both thinking of when they enchanted the snow balls to hit the back of the turban. Rosa noticed their distress and sent them a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure he doesn't remember," she comforted them.

"Remember when," Mr. Weasley asked.

"The snow ball," said Fred. No one needed anything else explained. Mrs. Weasley groaned.

"Oh boys," she said looking quite pale herself.

**Rosa tried to take a step backward but her legs wouldn't move.** "**Voldemort," she whispered. **

"You even said it to his face," George said looking slightly impressed.

"**You see what I've become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor… I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… like a mere parasite."**

"Even he thinks of himself that way," George said. "Guess we aren't the only ones that think that."

**Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"**

** So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Rosa's legs. She stumbled backward.**

"**Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Why suffer a horrific death when you can join me and live… or you'll meet the same end as your parents… They died begging me for mercy…"**

Remus and Sirius growled threating at the book. "James and Lily would never beg," Sirius hissed. The others were red in the face in anger.

They would never believe that James and Lily would beg for mercy and the fact that Voldemort just said that upset them.

"**NEVER!"**

Mad Eye nodded approvingly at the girl that was being held my Theo. Theo cuddled closer to Rosa and rubbed his cheek up against her own.

"**Ha, bravery, your parents had it too, tell me Rosa, would you like to see your mother and father again? Together we can bring them back all I asked is for something in return," Rosa's hand fell near the pocket where she knew the stone lay. "That's it," the face said smiling. "There is no good and evil there is only power and those too weak to seek it. Together we can do extraordinary things, just give me the stone," **

** Could he really bring her parents back? Leave the Dursleys? She remembered there smiling faces in the mirror.**

"Oh honey," Theo whispered to her. The others were staring at her with sympathy and what looked like shock. She snuggled closer to Theo.

"I would never do that," she said quietly but everyone heard.

"We know you wouldn't," Remus said kindly.

**She could have that for real… but at what price?**

"Too high of a price," Luna said dreamily.

**Would it be worth it? Doom the world. Doom her new friends, Ron and Hermione… **

Hermione and Ron smiled at her. "You guys are always helping me," Rosa said fondly.

**Behind Voldemort her parents were back again shaking their heads along with the mysterious man. Dumbledore said no spell could reawaken the dead, he was lying. **

"**LIAR!" Rosa shouted suddenly.**

"Good girl," Mad Eye said approvingly with a small smile. Remus and Sirius smiled brightly with pride on her face. Theo kissed her lightly on the forehead and an emotion she couldn't recognize glistened in his eyes.

**Quirrell was walking backward at her, so that Voldemort could still see her. The evil face was still smiling.**

"If that's not screaming danger than I don't know what would," Fred said.

"**How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery… Yes, girl, your parents were brave… I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn't have died… she was trying to protect you…** **Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."**

"**NEVER!"**

Sirius and Remus beamed at her again. They were proud of her cub/pup.

**Rosa sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HER!" **

"No don't!" yelled almost everyone in the room. Severus sent her a worried look.

**and the next second, Rosa felt Quirrell's hand close on her wrist.**

"Get your filthy hands off her," growled Theo holding Rosa tighter to him.

** At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Rosa's scar; her head felt as though it was about to split in two;**

Theo bent over her to kiss her forehead where her scar shown.

**she yelled, struggling with all her might, and to her surprise, Quirrell let go of her.**

** The pain in her head lessened — she looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers — they were blistering before his eyes.**

Everyone looked confused wondering what was going on. The only ones that knew what was going on was Dumbledore and herself.

"**Seize her! SEIZE HER!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Rosa clean off her feet landing on top of her, both hands around Rosa's neck**

Automatically her hand went straight to her neck. Theo pulled her hand away and touched it lightly with his own finger. She shivered at his touch. "That's why you touch your neck," said Theo. He sighed and dropped his hand and wrapped his arm back around her waist.

— **Bella's scar was almost blinding her with pain, yet she could see Quirrell howling in agony.**

"**Master, I cannot hold her — my hands — my hands!"**

** And Quirrell, though pinning Rosa to the ground with his knees,**

Theo growled at that.

** let go of her neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms — Rosa could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.**

Several people in the room looked at her alarmed. "What the hell was that?" asked Ron.

"It explains it later in the chapter I believe," Rosa said.

"**Then kill her, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.** **Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Rosa, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face —**

"**AAAARGH!"**

** Quirrell rolled off her, his face blistering, too, and then Rosa knew: Quirrell couldn't touch her bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain — her only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.**

Everyone nodded knowing that was the most she could do.

** Rosa jumped to her feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as she could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Rosa off — the pain in Rosa's head was building — she couldn't see — she could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HER! KILL HER!" and other voices, maybe in Rosa's own head, crying, "Bella! Bella!"**

"I had been worried I was too late," Dumbledore said in a grave voice. He came so close to losing her that night. Closer than he even realized.

"That was you?" Rosa said confused. She hadn't even realized but it made sense.

**She felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from her grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down… down… down…**

She snuggled closer to Theo and kissed his jaw. "The danger has passed," she said to him. Slowly his body relaxed. The others in the room also looked happy that she was in no more danger.

**Something gold was glinting just above her. The Snitch! **

"That snitch?" George said in amusement. Rosa huffed.

"I was out of it," she defended. "I don't even remember that."

"Sure," he said amusement still clear in his voice.

"Oh shut up," she hissed pouting slightly. Theo chuckled and kissed her lightly on the lips and all too soon he pulled away. She groaned slightly in protest and he smirked cheekily at her.

**She tried to catch it, but her arms were too heavy.** **She blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses.**

"Three guesses who!" the twins shouted. Dumbledore chuckled merrily at the twins.

**How strange.** **She blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above her.**

** "Good afternoon, Rosa," said Dumbledore. Rosa stared at him. Then she remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick —"**

** "Calm yourself, dear girl, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore.**

Dumbledore smiled fondly at the girl who didn't notice because she was staring up lovingly at Theo.

**"Quirrell does not have the Stone."**

"**Then who does? Sir, I —"**

"**Rosa, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."**

"That would be funny to see," the twins said. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Unfortunately it has happened before," he said merrily. His blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Seriously?" Fred asked.

"Yes," he chuckled.

**Rosa swallowed and looked around her. She realized she must be in the hospital wing. She was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to her was a table piled high with what looked like half the sweet shop.**

"Oh it was," George said.

"Nearly everyone sent you something," Neville said.

"**Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows.**

The trio smirked mysteriously at each other making the others wonder what had been kept a secret.

** I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat.**

"So that's why I didn't get the toilet seat!" Ginny exclaimed. Mrs. Weasley shot the twins a disapproving look.

"Sorry Ginny," they said. Ginny waved them off.

"It's all good," Ginny assured them. "It was for a good cause."

**No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."**

The twins face fell in disappointment at this. Rosa upon seeing this beamed at them.

"It's alright," Rosa said. "I stole it back later. It's at the bottom of my trunk." The twins beamed at her.

"**How long have I been in here?"**

"**Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."**

"Why is my name the only one that's said?" asked Ron. Rosa raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really?" Rosa asked. Ron realized his mistake and blushed. The Weasleys laughed merrily.

"**But sir, the Stone —"**

"**I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."**

"**You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"**

"**We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you."**

Sirius and Remus smiled thankfully at Dumbledore. Before either one could say anything Dumbledore held up his hand. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "I was happy to do it. I think of Rosa as my granddaughter."

"You do?" Rosa asked. Dumbledore smiled brightly at her.

"Of course," he said. "I used to spoil you as a child. Along with many others." Rosa looked thoughtful at that. She had for years thought of Dumbledore as a grandfather.

"**It was you."**

"**I feared I might be too late."**

"**You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer-"**

Remus shook his head fondly. "He was talking about you cub," he said. Theo poked her in the side playfully and she scowled at them both.

"You never think of yourself do you?" Theo whispered to her. Rosa kept silent and pouted.

"**Not the Stone, Rosa, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."**

"**Destroyed?" said Rosa blankly. "But your friend — Nicolas Flamel —"**

"**Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted.**

A few people shook their heads fondly. "Of course Rosa knew about Nicolas," Ron said. "It's Rosa." The girl in question stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"**You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."**

"**But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"**

"**They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."** **Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Rosa's face.**

"**To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day.**

** After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."**

"That is so true," Sirius said.

**Rosa lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.** "**Sir?" said Rosa. "I've been thinking… sir — even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who —"**

"You actually didn't say it!" Ron exclaimed shocked. Rosa did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out at him.

"**Call him Voldemort, Rosa. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."**

"So that's where you got it from!" Hermione exclaimed. Rosa just smiled and nodded.

"**Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"**

"**No, Rosa, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share… not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. **

Draco had paled slightly. He wasn't planning on becoming a follower anymore but his mother and father were ones. He was even more worried for them than before.

**Nevertheless, Rosa, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."**

Rosa sighed as she traced the scar on her arm. Almost nobody actually knew what happened that night. She wished she could keep it that way but knew that it would all come out in the fourth book.

Theo grabbed her hand and laced his hand with hers. She smiled up at him and once again thanked whatever god that was listening that she had him.

"**Well… Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"** **Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.**

"**Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day… put it from your mind for now, Rosa. When you are older… I know you hate to hear this… when you are ready, you will know."** **And Rosa knew it would be no good to argue.**

Hermione and Ron raised an eyebrow at that. "You didn't try to figure it out?" Ron asked. Rosa shrugged.

"He did tell me he would tell me someday."

"**But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"**

"That is the million dollar question," Sirius muttered.

"**Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.**

** It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."**

"Your mother is even protecting you after death," Mrs. Weasley said sounding like she was crying. Rosa smiled with watery eyes as she remembered the night at the graveyard and how her mother and father had come out of the wand.

"Yes I guess she is." Theo leaned down to kiss her forehead lovingly.

** Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Rosa time to dry her eyes on the sheet.**

Rosa had the same problem now but she wasn't the only one. Those who knew Lily were also teary eyed.

**When she had found her voice again, Rosa said, "And the invisibility cloak — do you know who sent it to me?"**

"**Ah — your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things… your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."**

Sirius let out a bark like laugh. "That wasn't the only thing he did with it," he gasped out between laughs. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with humor.

"Yes I suppose he did didn't he."

"**And there's something else…"**

"**Fire away."**

"**Quirrell said Snape —"**

"**Professor Snape, Rosa."**

"**Yes, him — Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"**

"**Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."**

"**What?"**

"**He saved his life."**

Sirius looked down guilty at that while Remus looked angry. Snape however had paled at the memory.

Several of the people in the room looked curious as to why.

Sirius looked down guilty; Remus went pale as did Snape. The rest of the group's jaws dropped.

"**What?"**

"**Yes…" said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt… I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even.**

Severus looked down at his lap. That hadn't been the only reason. He couldn't let Lilies daughter die.

** Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…"**

** Rosa tried to understand this but it made her head pound, so she stopped.**

A few people in the room looked worried at the mention of her head hurting but Rosa ignored them. It hadn't hurt for that long anyway.

"**And sir, there's one more thing…"**

"**Just the one?"**

Several people snorted while a few glanced at Rosa with an eyebrow raised. Knowing Rosa she most likely had several more.

"**How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"**

"Good question," Mad Eye said. He himself wanted to know how that happened also.

"**Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it,** **otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes… Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one,**

The twins twisted their faces into one of disgust. They weren't the only ones. "Bad luck mate," they said.

**and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them — but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"**

"We would too," the twins said. Rosa smiled over at the Headmaster.

"You should have gone with a red one sir," she said. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yes I probably should have."

**He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"** **Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.**

"That she is," Dumbledore said fondly.

"**Just five minutes," Rosa pleaded.**

"**Absolutely not."**

"**You let Professor Dumbledore in…"**

"**Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."**

"**I am resting, look, lying down and everything.**

A few people chuckled at her wit. Rosa just rolled her eyes it worked didn't it.

**Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey…"**

"**Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only."** **And she let Ron and Hermione in.**

"**Rosa!"** **Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around her again, but Rosa was glad she held herself in as her head was still very sore. **

"You looked so fragile," Hermione said. "I felt like if I touched you that I would break you." Rosa snorted but smiled at her friend.

"**Oh, Rosa, we were sure you were going to — Dumbledore was so worried —"**

"We all were," Ron said looking pale again.

"**The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What really happened?"** **It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors.**

Sirius sighed and looked over at his goddaughter. "I have a feeling that most of your adventures if you like will be that way." Rosa knew it was true but didn't say anything as she didn't want to worry him too much too soon.

**Rosa told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Rosa told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.**

"**So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"**

"**That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that — what was it? — 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'"**

"**I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was.**

Ron went bright red at this but Dumbledore just smiled at him which calmed him slightly.

"**So what happened to you two?" said Rosa.**

"**Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round — that took a while — and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall — he already knew — he just said, 'Rosa's gone after him, hasn't she?' and hurtled off to the third floor."**

"**D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"**

"He better not have," growled Remus. Sirius looked deadly at the idea. Dumbledore didn't comment but stared up at the ceiling.

"**Well," Hermione exploded, "if he did — I mean to say that's terrible — you could have been killed."**

"**No, it isn't," said Rosa thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could…"**

The adult glared at Dumbledore (even Snape). Dumbledore raised his hands in surrender motion.

"I assure you that I had no idea until I saw Miss. Grangers and Mr. Weasleys faces." This calmed them down slightly but they still looked angry. Rosa however was remembering back to when she first saw the mirror. What had Dumbledore told her?

_"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Rosa, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared."_

What if he did have a slight idea that she would be seeing it again?

"**Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course — you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you — but the food will be good."**

** At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.** "**You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT"**

"Wow she gave you that many," Sirius said sounding amazed.

** she said firmly.** **After a good night's sleep, Rosa felt nearly back to normal.**

"**I want to go to the feast," she told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened her many sweet boxes. "I can, can't I?"**

"So well mannered," Mrs. Weasley cooed.

"**Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be.**

Everyone smiled or chuckled fondly at this.

**"And you have another visitor."**

"**Oh, good," said Rosa. "Who is it?"** **Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Rosa, took one look at her, and burst into tears.**

** "It's — all — my — ruddy — fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again!**

A few people snorted. "How long did that last?" Sirius asked.

"Until third year," Rosa said. That made people look impressed.

**I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"**

Mr. Weasley frowned. "Not all Muggles are like the Dursleys," he said.

"Besides that I don't think it would be a good idea for Hagrid to live out in the Muggle world," McGonagall said.

"**Hagrid!" said Rosa, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."**

"**Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"**

"**VOLDEMORT!" Rosa bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.**

"Well that's one way to do it," Ginny said amused.

**"I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads…"**

"That was sweet," Molly said approvingly.

**Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."**

"**It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Rosa anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.**

A few in the room chuckled too.

"**Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'course, he shoulda sacked me instead — anyway, got yeh this…"**

** It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Rosa opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at her from every page were her mother and father.**

Rosa smiled to herself. She loved that photo album.

"**Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos… **

"So that's why he asked for those photos," Remus said.

**knew yeh didn' have any… d'yeh like it?"** **Rosa couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.**

** Rosa made her way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. She had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving her one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherins winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row.**

Charlie made a face of disgust and disappointment. He wasn't the only one.

** A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.**

** When Rosa walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. She slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at her.**

Rosa sighed. She hated it when that happened but unfortunately she had to get used to that.

**Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.** "**Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast.**

Fond chuckles filled the small room as people laughed about how Dumbledore introduced his own speech.

**What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…**

"Do you have to encourage them," McGonagall groaned. Dumbledore just chuckled at his colleague.

"**Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."**

** A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Rosa could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.**

Draco smiled apologetic at Rosa.

"**Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."** **The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.**

"**Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes…**

"You should have done that before the speech," Remus said with a slight frown.

"Yes now that I think about it I should have," Dumbledore said with his own frown.

"**First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley…"** **Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with bad sunburn.**

"Thanks Rosa," Ron said sarcastically. Rosa smiled sweetly at him.

"… **for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

** Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"** **At last there was silence again.**

"**Second — to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

There was a round of applause.

**Hermione buried her face in her arms; Rosa strongly suspected she had burst into tears.**

Hermione scowled at her. "I wasn't crying," she said.

"Then what were you doing?" Rosa asked.

"I just wasn't used to having so many people looking at me," she said. "I was embarrassed." Rosa nodded in understanding.

**Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — they were a hundred points up.**

"**Third — to Miss Rosalind Potter…"**

Rosa flinched slightly. It was an automatic response when she heard her name. Normally it meant she was in trouble.

**said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."**

"Like a true Gryffindor," Sirius said with a smile.

** The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points — exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup — if only Dumbledore had given Rosa just one more point.** **Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.**

"**There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."**

"Good going Neville," someone shouted. Rosa thought it was one of the twins but couldn't be sure over the cheering of the group.

**Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Rosa, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won as much as a point for Gryffindor before. Rosa, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him,.**

"Sorry Draco," Rosa said with a smile.

** "Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin,**

Rosa smirked to herself. "Yah know Slytherin really isn't that bad," she said. Theo smiled at her and kissed her on the lips.

"What year was it that you started believing that?" Hermione asked.

"Well I made my first Slytherin friend in second year," Rosa said. "But I still wasn't all that sure about the house. I figured not everyone is as bad as I thought but that didn't mean that there weren't people in the house that didn't live up to the expectations."

Blaise, Theo, and Draco exchanged glanced. They knew Rosa was right. There were people in the house that gave Slytherins a bad name.

**"we need a little change of decoration."**

** He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Rosa's eye and Rosa knew at once that Snape's feelings toward her hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Rosa. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.**

"There you go jinxing things again," Hermione said jokingly. Rosa stuck her tongue out at her which made the others laugh.

**It was the best evening of Rosa's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls… she would never, ever forget tonight.**

Hermione and Ron beamed at their friend and she returned the favor.

**Rosa had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both she and Ron passed with good marks, (hers manly due to the isolation after Norbert)**

"That's not entirely true Rose," Hermione said. Rosa just shrugged.

**Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years.**

** Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.**

** And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets;**

Neville just shook his head at that. He turned up in the most strangest of places. "Thanks Rosa," he said. Rosa had been the one to find him.

** notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.**

Rosa sighed as she knew this meant she was going back to the Dursleys.

**It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.**

"No that wouldn't be good at all," McGonagall said with a frown.

"**You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you — I'll send you an owl."**

"**Thanks," said Rosa, "I'll need something to look forward to." People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:**

"**Bye, Rosa!"**

"**See you, Potter!"**

"**Still famous," said Ron, grinning at her.**

Rosa frowned. She hated her fame.

"**Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Rosa.**

This made those that cared about Rosa frown.

** She, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. "There she is, Mum, there she is, look!"**

Ginny blushed and groaned. She had been such a fan girl back then.

**It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.**

"**Rosa Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see —"**

"**Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."** **Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.**

"**Busy year?" she said.**

Mrs. Weasley frowned. She hadn't had a clue how busy.

"**Very," said Rosa. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."**

At this her frown was replaced with a smile.

"**Oh, it was nothing, dear."**

"**Ready, are you?"**

** It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still moustache, still looking furious at the nerve of Rosa, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Rosa.**

This brought a small smile to Rosa's lips. The first couple weeks had been so fun.

"**You must be Rosa's family!" said Mrs. Weasley.**

"**In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, girl, we haven't got all day." He walked away.** **Rosa hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.**

"**See you over the summer, then."**

"**Hope you have — er — a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.**

"I hadn't realized how unpleasant," Hermione said with a frown.

"**Oh, I will," said Rosa, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over her face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…"**

Several people laughed at this. As soon as the room calmed down Dumbledore took the book from Hermione and set it aside only for it to disappear in a bright light.

Only seconds later did another flash of bright light fill the room and a piece of parchment fell onto Rosa's lap.

She picked it up and read it out loud.

_"Now that you have finished the first book you can move onto the second one. Here shortly you will have three more visitors. Rosa I believe you will enjoy having one of your guests here. _

_ Another one of the guests may not be welcomed by some but you will shortly fine that she isn't exactly as she seems. Just like you had found out with plenty of others in the room. _

_ Love,_

_ Hermione_

Rosa put the note aside and gazed curiously down at it. Who could the mystery guests be? And why would she enjoy having him/her here? Her question didn't stay a mystery long.

Another bright light filled the room and Rosa was able to make out three figures. As soon as it faded a smile lit up her face.

**Whoo the books finally done! I'm sorry that it took me so long to update. Earlier this week all over town the internet went down and I spent most of the weekend with a friend and trying to catch up on my school work. **

**So who do you think will be the three guests? One of them is my own creation so you won't have heard of him yet. But the other two is from the books. **

**I'll be posting book two sometime this week. I'd like to catch up with my other stories since I've been neglecting them due to the fact that I wanted to get this story done. **


	19. Sequel!

**I know I'm not supposed to do this but I'm going to anyway. **

**I want to let you all know that the first chapter to the sequel is finally out!**

**Go and read it!**


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